Winter Storm Possible for Area Thursday

Diagrams above from AccuWeather and The Weather Channel.

Most of Rhode Island Under Storm Watch for Thursday

According to reports from Accuweather and The Weather Channel, our region could be hit with a substantial snow storm on Thursday of this week. There is the potential for 12-24 inches (30-60 cm) or more of snow to fall, in Maine and New Brunswick, but also the risk of hurricane-force gusts and frigid air at the same time. The Providence area may not get hit that bad but here is a forecast many weather services are looking at:

From eastern New England to Atlantic Canada, sporadic power outages are likely with the risk of regional power outages. Tremendous blowing and drifting snow is likely and some communities may be isolated for several days in the wake of the storm.

The Eastern Seaboard will see at least some snow and wind from this storm, and locations along the immediate coast of New England could see blizzard conditions, including lowered visibility and gusty, if not damaging, winds.

Low pressure in the western Atlantic Ocean will intensify and track toward the north-northeast off the Northeast coast late Wednesday through Thursday, before plowing into Atlantic Canada by early Friday.

A track of the offshore low closer to the East Coast would increase the odds of moderate to heavy snow along with strong winds. A track farther offshore would bring lighter amounts of snow to the East Coast and gusty winds.

This degree of uncertainty is quite common with many East Coast snow events.

The storm's timing is Thursday-Thursday night (January 4, 2018). The powerful storm will be centered well off the Northeast coast. Increasing winds are likely along much of the Northeast coast. The winds could cause some power outages along the immediate coast of New England, which would be followed by very cold temperatures Friday-Saturday. Near-blizzard conditions could occur in coastal New England and eastern Long Island.

The best chance for significant accumulating snow along the U.S. coast is in eastern New England. This snow may be heavy and accompanied by strong winds. Again, exact amounts will depend on the track of the low in relation to the East Coast.

Forecast changes are likely over the next few days as the details of this potential East Coast storm come into focus.

Cold weather has forced the closure of the M.J. Francis School in Rumford on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. Frozen and then thawing pipes have drained water into some classrooms and the water is shut off. The other schools in East Providence have not been effected.

High School Principal, Shani Wallace has asked all staff to watch the building closely, however. "The maintenance crew will be monitoring the building(s) throughout the night, as they have been doing. However, the extremely cold weather is definitely a challenge," Wallace wrote to her staff. The Principal asked staff to "immediately" report any leaks or other problems to her office.