A First Alert has been declared for Thursday afternoon through Friday morning due to the heavy rain, gusty wind and snow across the southern two thirds of New England.
This evening we continue to see the showers taper from west to east. Maine continues to keep a few showers in the forecast tonight, with some light snow or a wintry mix across the crown of Maine and across the Presidentials. Overnight lows fall to around freezing far north, 30s to 40s south with a mostly cloudy sky, clearing west.
Thursday into Friday we have a significant storm that's heading in from the southwestern U.S., which will also absorb the remnants of Hurricane Zeta. This will enhance our rainfall potential to 1-2 inches across southern New England.
Colder air rushes in as our wind shifts from the northeast to the northwest Friday morning and we see a switch from rain to a mix then snow in higher elevations. The gusty winds will be strongest during Friday morning, with areas near the southeastern coasts between 30 and 50 mph, and inland 15-30 mph from the northeast.
Weather Across the Nation
The wind subsides as the storm pulls away Friday afternoon. The rain will begin along the south coast already for the morning commute Thursday. Boston should hold off on the rain until noon time. The rain rapidly spreads in south to north, but stops before it reaches northern Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The heavy rain continues for the evening commute and overnight.
Around midnight the switch from rain to snow begins in the mountains then slowly heads southeast. The rain/snow line may be draped across Boston, Providence and Hartford so we avoid accumulation, but there will be snowflakes mixing in with the cold rain. Outside Route 128, grassy areas may see coatings.
Around the Worcester Hills, we expect a coating to 2 inches and more in higher elevations. One to three inches are possible across the Berkshires and southern Green Mountains as well as southern New Hampshire.
The precipitation all heads out by Friday afternoon as the storm heads east. We will have some sun, but temperatures stay cold with highs around 40.
Friday night we will have a deep freeze and ice developing on roads north and west as temperatures fall to freezing faster. Eventually eastern and southern New England will see lows around 30 and below freezing, so it is the official end to the growing season for all.
Halloween weekend is mostly dry and a little milder. Highs on Saturday reach the mid-40s with mostly sunny skies. Trick-or-treating will be chilly and frosty with a bright full blue moon. We fall back one hour that night as Daylight Saving Time comes to an end.
Sunday our highs modify a bit to the mid-50s and a chance for a shower by evening. We have 40s and 50s in the extended 10-day outlook and quiet weather, which includes Election Day and beyond.
