Tuesday’s forecast of a snow and rain mix is “nothing out of the ordinary” but that doesn’t mean it can’t cause a few headaches.
A large portion of the state is under a winter weather advisory and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation is encouraging drivers to reduce travel, if possible, and “make informed and safe decisions before heading out onto the roadways.”
Hampshire County is forecast to experience a wintry mix of precipitation including snow and, at times, some light freezing rain, according to Alan Dunham, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Taunton.
Snow accumulation totals could reach 3 inches and up to 5 in some isolated areas.
Two school districts — Gateway Regional School District and Hampshire Regional School District — have declared snow days.
“Plan on slippery road conditions, including during the morning commute,” the weather advisory reads.
In preparation for the wintry mix, MassDOT’s snow and ice operations were planning workforce deployment and pretreating the roadways at locations throughout the commonwealth with brine and magnesium chloride, according to the department.
As the afternoon wears on, temperatures are expected to reach the upper 30s to around 40 degrees. A main system passing across central New England is dragging a cold front which will cause temperatures to drop. Overnight lows are forecasted in the mid-to-upper teens, Dunham said.
Emily Cutts can be reached at ecutts@gazettenet.com.