Snow, Dangerous Cold On Way For MA: See Latest Forecast

MASSACHUSETTS — Another shot of snow on Friday will be followed by the coldest air in nearly a year across the state this weekend, according to the latest National Weather Service forecast.

While the next storm will mostly miss New England, energy from the storm combined with ocean-effect snow off the relatively warm Atlantic Ocean could bring a period of heavy precipitation to parts of Massachusetts on Friday.

Most of the eastern and southern parts of the state are likely looking at 1 to 2 inches of snow with parts of Cape Cod and the South Shore having the chance of plowable snow up to 4 inches.

Areas north and west of the Mass Pike and Route 128 should largely get to sit this one out with a coating to an inch possible.

The snow is forecast to start as showers on Friday afternoon with the heaviest areas coming in between 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. for the Plymouth area and Cape Cod.

Then the whole state will have to bundle up over the weekend in what could be the coldest stretch since the record-breaking sub-zero blast last February.

Temperatures will struggle to reach 20 degrees on Saturday with wind chills below zero through much of the day and at night.

Sunday won't be much better with highs in the 20s and a persistent northwest wind making it feel closer to single digits.

The weather pattern looks to change next week, however, with a "January thaw" bringing temperatures back above normal into the 40s for much of the week with a chance of rain or snow mix possible later in the week.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)