5:39PM

A new year is here, and it is now January. The weather will be behaving in an expected way for the month we have entered, with some cold air and a couple of storms passing through.

First, some cloudiness tonight caused by warming air aloft will keep temperatures from dropping too low, and a little less cold is expected on Friday compared to the last 2 days. It will be a bright day as high pressure continues to have influence on the weather here in southeastern New England. Low pressure moving across the southern US will turn northeastward through the Midwest and head into the Great Lakes by Saturday and Saturday night. Its warm front will provide overrunning for increasing clouds and then mix/snow breaking out during Saturday evening from south to north across the area. Enough cold air will be in place for some accumulating snow to start out, with the least chance over Cape Cod. Warm air will be coming in aloft rather quickly, so expect a change to sleet, rain, and freezing rain fairly quickly. At this time the expectation is that areas from the Boston area northwestward will accumulate 1 to 4 inches of snow, least southeast and most to the northwest, before the changeover. Temperatures should warm enough for sleet going to rain in the coastal plain and across southeastern MA into southern RI, but enough cold air may allow sleet and especially freezing rain to occur for much of the night from northern RI through interior eastern MA into southern NH with the exception of the Seacoast area which will also likely change to plain rain. There is a good chance of some icy conditions impacting travel where temperatures remain cold enough to support freezing rain. By later Sunday morning to midday Sunday, enough warm air should be in place in all areas so that the precipitation winds up as plain rain. Toward the end of Sunday, the cold front from the low pressure area will sweep eastward into the region with rain showers to start, some possible snow showers at night, and a colder/drier trend getting underway. A stronger northwesterly flow on Monday will transport cold air into southeastern New England along with dry weather. At this time it still appears that a clipper low pressure system will come from south central Canada across the Great Lakes and then across the Northeast later Tuesday through early Wednesday with some risk of snow/mix. Though at this stage it does not look like a big storm, we should monitor it as there will be some potential travel impacts. Expect a shot of wind and very cold air, the coldest for the season so far, by the middle of next week.

SOUTHEASTERN NEW ENGLAND FORECAST…
TONIGHT: Variably cloudy. Lows in the 20s. Wind SW 5-15 MPH, gusting around 20 MPH.
FRIDAY: Mostly sunny. Highs 35-40. Wind W 10-20 MPH, gusting around 25 MPH.
FRIDAY NIGHT: Mostly clear. Lows 15-20 inland, 20-25 coast. Wind W 5-15 MPH, diminishing late.
SATURDAY: Increasing clouds. Light snow or mix possible by late day southern MA and RI. Highs around 30 interior MA and southern NH, 30s elsewhere. Wind light variable.
SATURDAY NIGHT: Overcast. Mix to rain Cape Cod and Islands, snow to sleet then rain southern RI and east coastal MA, snow to sleet and freezing rain interior MA, northern RI, and southern NH except sleet to rain Seacoast region. Snow accumulation less than 1 inch immediate coastal areas, 1-2 inches from central and northern RI through most of eastern MA, 2-4 inches Merrimack Valley through north central MA into most of southern NH. Temperatures 25-30 interior valleys, 30s elsewhere, rising to around 40 coastal areas at night. Wind NE to N under 10 MPH interior MA and southern NH, NE to E 5-15 MPH increasing to 10-20 MPH elsewhere.
SUNDAY: Mostly cloudy. Ice to rain north central MA and southern NH, rain elsewhere, all tapering off midday from southwest to northeast. An additional passing rain shower possible west to east afternoon. Highs in the 40s. Wind E to SE 10-20 MPH briefly shifting to S over southeastern MA, then shifting to SW all areas 15-25 MPH with higher gusts during the afternoon.
MONDAY: Mostly sunny and windy. Low 20. High 35.
TUESDAY: Increasing clouds. PM snow. Low 15. High 30.
WEDNESDAY: Mostly cloudy with snow showers AM. Sun and clouds PM. Low 20. High 30.
THURSDAY: Mostly sunny. Low 10. High 20.