MA Weather Forecast: Final Storm Update Has More Changes

You've heard it all regarding Wednesday's impending nor'easter. Forecasters are dealing with "high uncertainty" even as the second major storm in a week winds up to bear down on us all day. Snow total forecasts are coming down to the last minute because of temperatures straddling freezing.

What forecasters do feel confident about are high snow totals in Central and Western Mass. Those expectations, which had reached as high as 2 feet Tuesday, have settled at 12-18 inches for now. Several school districts in that part of the state canceled school Wednesday, with dozens more farther east alerting parents of an early dismissal. Check out the latest school closings here.

Those 12-18 inches can come as far as the Merrimack Valley, though the uncertainty of where the rain/snow line falls has thrown Eastern Mass. predictions into a blender. The I-95 corridor from Boston to Providence is expecting a great variance. Bedford is expected to get as much as a foot, while Boston and Foxborough are slated for 4-6 inches. But those totals could be higher or lower depending on the temperature, which is forecasted to hover around freezing.

Sounds like a good time to subscribe for free to your local Patch to stay up to date on weather, school, and power updates - as well as other hyperlocal happenings.

East of that rain/snow line will be a lot of wet, heavy snow along the coast, Cape, and in Southeastern Mass. Those areas were among the last to see power restored - only a few hundred remain without following the devastating storm last week. Coastal flood advisories and warnings have been issued along the coast, with moderate flooding expected through Thursday.

The most accumulation Wednesday will be between 6 p.m. and midnight, when as many as 2-3 inches per hour could be coming down.

The storm will be accompanied by very heavy wind gusts as the day progresses. Between late afternoon and evening Wednesday, gusts of over 50 miles per hour will blow on the coast and of more than 40 mph farther inland.

Here is when the storm is expected to begin:

Photo by Stephanie Keith/Getty Images