Blizzard, Winter Storm Watches Posted

The National Weather Service in Taunton has issued Winter Storm Watches for much and New England and Blizzard Watches for Eastern Mass and Northern RI.

NWS Boston Watches and Warnings

I'm not going to beat a dead horse.  Here is how I view the timing which was become a slight issue; the EURO keeps the storm raging until midday Saturday.

Friday 6 AM-12 PM

Light flurries work into Southern New England as we await the storm in the Southeast.  Northern New England will begin to see steadier snows as the Great Lakes storm pushes east.  Travel should not be impacted in Southern New England.  Temperatures begin near 20 and climb to near 30 as the precip shield works north.

Friday 12 PM-6 PM

By six there will be several inches of snow but it will seem like a regular winter storm.  Around this time the complete energy transfer from system 1 in the Great Lakes to the developing coastal low will occur and the storm will begin to rapidly deepen.  Snowfall rates will ramp up and winds will pick up.  

Friday 6 PM- Saturday 12 AM

Heavy, one inch per hour snows

Saturday Midnight to 9 AM

Blizzard conditions.  White out, winds gusting 40-50 mph.  Snowfall rates 2-3 inches per hour, likely thunder and lightning.  

Saturday 9 AM - 2 PM

Leftover snow pulls away will diminish in intensity, winds do not relax as Arctic cold pours in behind storm.

Various Model Output (NOT MY FORECAST)

NAM Hires 18z accumulated snowfall (wxbell)

Yes I crushed the 18z models yesterday however this is not much different than the 12z model, just expanded out 6 hours.  Also this is the 60 hour forecast valid Saturday 1 AM.  That means a good chunk of the storm is STILL to come.  Here are the winds at 900 mb and sea level pressure also Saturday at 1 AM.

NAM Hires 18z 900 mb winds mslp (wxbell)

This would cause Blizzard conditions. The projected radar Saturday at 1 AM is also impressive

NAM Hires 18z simulated radar (wxbell)

Projecting forward the back edge of this heavy snow with increasing snow ratio's (as the low begins to move past temps drop into the low 20's) its hard to look at this situation and not think someone is going to get 3 feet.  So maps...I'll post my own tomorrow morning around 7 AM.  But as I posted earlier I hope you have a yardstick to measure.