It’s Going to Snow—Again

Image via National Weather Service

Update: 

Mayor Marty Walsh has declared a snow emergency and parking ban in Boston, ahead of actual flakes hitting the ground, and canceled school on Wednesday.

“Our team is ready for this storm,” Walsh said in a statement. “We’re expecting a very difficult morning commute, and for that reason we’re urging everyone to use public transportation to travel in and around the city tomorrow.”

The storm is expected to dump anywhere from six to 12 inches of heavy, wet snow in and around Boston. Somerville and Cambridge have also already declared parking bans in their respective communities, while Somerville officials canceled school on Wednesday, too.

The snow emergency and parking ban for  Boston will go in effect Tuesday, February 4, at 11 p.m., and while students won’t have to report to class, City Hall will be open for business as usual on Wednesday.

According to Walsh’s office, the National Weather Service has declared a “Winter Storm Warning” from midnight through 6 p.m., Wednesday. The heaviest snow fall is expected to begin at 6 a.m, at a rate of an inch an hour. Another significant storm is expected for this weekend, and dropping temperatures are forecast.

Earlier:

It snowed more than once in January, it snowed on Monday night, and it’s going to snow again on Wednesday.

Welcome to winter in New England.

The National Weather Service has issued a “Winter Storm Warning” for all of Massachusetts, and predicts that the Boston area could see as much as 12 inches of snow in some spots by Wednesday. Other parts of the state could see up to 14 inches, according to weather experts.

The winter warning, which is issued when an average of six or more inches of snow is expected to hit the ground in a 12-hour timeframe, or eight or more inches in 24 hours, is likely to begin late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning, and then turn into a “wintry mix” that could include sleet and freezing rain, lasting through Wednesday afternoon.

The storm warning will remain in place from midnight until 6 p.m. on Wednesday. “Another round of wintry weather begins late tonight and continues into Wednesday. Mostly snow, but some sleet and freezing rain are likely to mix in as well close to the South Coast,” National Weather Service officials said in their latest predictions.

Officials from the Weather Service said road travel will be sluggish at best on surfaces that are treated by plows and sanders, and the areas that aren’t treated will be “quite difficult,” so Wednesday morning’s commute could be tough. “Consider altering travel plans for Wednesday,” they warned in their latest snow-total report. The ride home, however, might not be so bad.

So far, there have been no cancellations or parking restrictions put in place by Boston officials, or those in surrounding municipalities, but based on the snowfall expectations, and this map that indicates Massachusetts is likely to shut schools down during storms that bring 12 inches or more, an announcement could come later.