NORTHAMPTON — Those hoping that March would bring warmer weather and clearer skies might have to wait a little longer: A major snowstorm is expected blow into Massachusetts this week.
Starting early Wednesday, the storm is forecast to bring a foot or more of snow to the region, according to the National Weather Service in Taunton.
“This is shaping up to be a classic New England nor’easter,” Matt Doody from the National Weather Service said. “We’re forecasting 6 to 12 inches in most of Massachusetts, but there might be higher totals in central and western Massachusetts.”
The winter weather is forecast to arrive only a few days after a major storm blasted the East Coast, knocking out power to more than 2 million businesses and homes and flooding coastal towns. It was blamed for nine deaths from Virginia to Massachusetts.
Hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses from Virginia to New England remained without power Monday. Dozens of Massachusetts schools remained closed, most in coastal areas south of Boston, the region which bore the brunt of the storm. It could be midnight Tuesday before everyone is back online.
The storm now headed for the Northeast snarled traffic and closed schools across a large swath of the Midwest on Monday. A 211-mile stretch of Interstate 90 in southeastern South Dakota was shut down.
In western Massachusetts, Doody said, the snowfall accumulation is expected to intensify through the day Wednesday.
“Most of the commute on Wednesday morning won’t be too bad, but come mid-morning we are expecting the snow totals per hour to increase,” Doody said. “The snow should wrap up by Thursday morning.”
As to whether or not Wednesday’s forecast is expected to change, Doody said that it was “very likely.”
“Since the storm is following a low pressure system, any shift to that track in the next few days could change things dramatically,” Doody said. “A deviation of 50 miles from its current projection might not seem like a lot in the grand scheme of things, but it could change snow totals in either direction.”
The National Weather Service said in a winter storm watch that travel may be difficult and visibility might be reduced, especially during rush hour on Wednesday evening.
Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.