New England’s next snowstorm arrived overnight Friday and will last through much of Saturday as a quick-moving clipper pushes into the region from the west. Quick refresher: A clipper system refers to a storm originating from south-central Canada, which typically moves swiftly through the region and often lacks the moisture for memorable snow totals. The name “clipper” comes from 19th-century speedy sailing vessels.
There is no way we’ll be seeing the type of snow that fell two weeks ago, but you may need to break out the shovel with 3 to 6 inches possible across Greater Boston, the north and south shores, and spilling south to the Cape and north along the coast to Maine.
With the atmosphere very cold, we can expect higher snow ratios due to the limited moisture in the air, meaning light and fluffy snow will accumulate relatively easily.
Coastal Southern New England may actually end up with the higher end of this total, including Boston and along the north shore. As the main front passes, a secondary area of low pressure is likely to form over the ocean to our southeast. That means moisture will funnel back into the region Saturday morning and produce scattered ocean-enhanced snow showers that can last through the afternoon hours. There may also be a couple of snow squalls, too. So be careful if you’re on the roads early Saturday.
Most of the storm will be over by mid-afternoon Saturday, with varying snow totals across Southern New England, depending on where some of the bands light up. Check out the snow map below to find out what you can expect in your neighborhood.
But keep in mind this storm isn’t just about snow. Arctic air will pour into the region behind the storm and will ramp up wind speeds Friday night, while the bitter cold settles in.
This will set up winds of 20 and 40 mph late Saturday night through the first half of Sunday. This will make icy cold temperatures plunge to the negatives across most of Southern New England, including Boston, from Saturday evening through mid-morning Sunday. Wind chills will reach the negative 10s to 20s.
So yes, you’ll need to break out the shovel, but most importantly, bundle up Saturday night and Sunday!
Ken Mahan can be reached at ken.mahan@globe.com. Follow him on Instagram @kenmahantheweatherman.
