An old adage says that March comes “in like a lion,” so it’s appropriate that the month will be off to a rough start for Bay Staters with a nor’easter expected to hit at the end of this week.
A “multi-facet” coastal storm will pummel the eastern Massachusetts area Thursday night into Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. The storm could cause major coastal flooding into the weekend and strong damaging winds, as well.
Forecasters don’t predict a lot of snow, but the storm is expected to bring plenty of other precipitation.
“While there remains uncertainty, the risk of getting that much snow in the Boston metro area is quite low,” the National Weather Service Boston office said on Twitter. “Our greatest concern is coastal flooding over several high tide cycles late Friday am into Saturday across eastern MA coast. Moderate coastal flooding seems like a sure bet, but major coastal flooding with a very significant impact is possible depending on track/timing.”
Forecasters are still nailing down their exact predictions for how severe this will be, since the storm is a few days out. Still, residents along the Massachusetts coast should start making preparations as soon as possible, experts warn.
The National Weather Service Boston listed some key points to note for the Friday through Saturday storm: It will be espeically dangerous for mariners, moderate to major costal flooding is possible along the entire eastern Massachusetts coast and heavy rain with wet snow may occur at times.
Key Points for Fri-Sat Coastal Storm:
* Dangerous storm for mariners due to high winds and high seas.
* Moderate-Major coastal flooding possible along entire E MA coast, including Cape Cod, Vineyard, & Nantucket.
* Heavy rain possible w/wet snow at higher elevations at times.— NWS Boston (@NWSBoston) February 28, 2018
Boston is seeing some higher-than-average temperatures ahead of the storm, reaching a high near 60 degrees on Wednesday and 55 degrees Thursday.
This is “very atypical” for the end of February, forecasters said, when the high is usually in the lower 40s.
The rain will start mainly after 8 p.m. Thursday, with winds ramping up to 16 to 21 miles per hour after midnight.
Friday will be windy, with most winds between 21 and 26 miles per hour — though some gusts could reach as high as 55 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service. That abnormally warm weather will pass, as well, with Friday reaching a high year 44 during the day and a low around 36 at night.
Boston is expected to be rainy through Saturday, with forecasters saying Sunday will be cloudy with a low around 34 degrees.
