Chance of snow on Thanksgiving for parts of Massachusetts. Maps show which areas could be impacted
BOSTON - After weeks of dry weather and no rain, the busiest and most impactful week of weather in months is on the way during the Thanksgiving holiday.
The WBZ Weather Team is issuing a NEXT Weather Alert for a potential holiday coastal storm.
It's the busiest travel week of the year and we are tracking two storm systems.
Monday travel
Locally, the pick of the week (naturally). We start the week with a mainly sunny, seasonal day. Winds will be a bit gusty in the afternoon, although much less so than Sunday. Highs near or slightly over 50 degrees.
Nationally, a few light rain showers through the Ohio Valley and upper Midwest, some snow in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin.
The big storm for the week comes ashore along the West Coast with some areas of heavy rain from Washington to California and some snow in the mountains.
Tuesday travel - Storm #1
Locally, a rainy day in the Northeast. Periods of rain showers midmorning through midafternoon, mainly light to moderate. Rainfall totals will generally be less than a half inch. Temperatures on Tuesday will be in the 50s in our area.
Nationally, it will be quite windy in the Upper Midwest (behind the area of rain). The main storm will be traveling through the Rockies bringing some rain and snow showers out that way.
Wednesday travel
Locally, a gusty day on the backside of Tuesday's storm. Expect partly sunny skies with highs in the 40s in southern New England.
Nationally, the main event will now have moved into the central part of the country. It will be in the midst of getting its act together as it digs southward into northern Texas. Expect some rain showers in the southern Plains and some accumulating snowfall in parts of Wyoming and Colorado.
Thanksgiving - Storm #2
It now looks like Thursday will bring the most impactful weather of the week. Odds of a coastal storm for New England are steadily increasing.
Given that we are still several days away from this event, some important questions remain. There is certainly potential for a sizeable and highly impactful storm. This system will also likely bring some heavy precipitation, perhaps an inch or more of water on average. Ultimately, it will take another 24-48 hours of fine tuning before we can confidently forecast local impacts and precipitation types.
Where could there be snow?
This storm has the potential to bring the first snow accumulation to parts of southern and central New England. Taking into account the time of year, ocean temperatures and the most likely storm track, the best chance of accumulating snowfall would be in the higher elevations.
Currently, the highest risk of snowfall accumulation is in the Green and White Mountains, followed by the Berkshires, Monadnock Region and finally the Worcester Hills.
We cannot yet rule out snow farther south and east and closer to Boston, but for now we will label that a "lower" risk.
There is also potential for strong easterly winds during the day on Thursday. With a storm track just offshore, we could see gusts of 40-50 miles per hour along the immediate coastline. Thankfully, tides are astronomically low, so coastal flooding is not a concern.
It is imperative that you stay tuned to updated forecasts throughout the week. With regards to the timeline as well as rain, snow and wind impacts, as soon as we know, you will know.
Stay with WBZ-TV and CBSBoston.com for frequent storm updates.