WEATHER UPDATE: When Will the Snow Start? When Will the Rain End?

By Les Masterson (Patch Staff)

Photo credit: National Weather Service.

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory as Massachusetts is bracing for another round of snow.

The Weather Channel is predicting snow showers will begin by mid-afternoon Saturday across most of Eastern and Central Massachusetts. Snow will become steady in the evening hours before ending late Saturday night.

Snow will change to ice and then rain overnight. As much as an inch of rain could fall before precipitation ends by noon on Sunday.

The latest snowfall estimates from the NWS show that most of Greater Boston will likely get 3-4 inches of snow before the changeover to rain overnight. The South Shore will get less snow, the Worcester area and near the New Hampshire border will get more snow and Cape Cod and the Islands will get nearly all rain.

Though the storm won’t bring the snowfall totals that we’ve seen over the past month, Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency is concerned that an inch of rain could exacerbate roof problems. There have been more than 100 full or partial roof collapses over the past week, according to MEMA.

MEMA is asking people to clear roofs (especially flat roofs) of snow and ice before the storm starts on Saturday afternoon.

Check MEMA’s Roof Collapse Safety page that includes information about how to safely clear snow and ice from roofs, how to recognize roof problems and safety tips.

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