Most of Eastern Mass. could get up to 4 inches of snow this weekend

By Lauren Dezenski, Globe Correspondent

Much of Eastern Massachusetts will likely be blanketed by up to 4 inches of snow from a cold front swinging south this weekend, the National Weather Service said.

Greater Boston saw a high of 47 today, accompanied by clear skies and a southwest wind gusting up to 26 miles per hour. But a Canadian low is forecast to move south overnight, creating conditions for rain and snow into Saturday, said weather service meteorologist Charlie Foley.

“Winter’s not over yet,” Foley said.

Snow showers are possible throughout the state before 2 p.m. Saturday. Snow will transition into rain before turning back into snow as night falls, the weather service said. The South Shore, Cape Cod, and the islands are set to see the most snow.

Daytime temperatures on Saturday could climb to 41 degrees in Hyannis, 40 degrees in Boston, Cape Ann, and Norwood, and 36 degrees in Worcester.

The accumulating snow will most likely wait until late Saturday night into Sunday morning. Forecasters are predicting 2 to 4 inches across most of Eastern Massachusetts, including greater Boston and Worcester. Some areas on the South Shore and Cape could see 4 to 6 inches, while areas of the Cape and islands could see 6 to 8 inches. Western Massachusetts is expected to get only 1 to 2 inches.

Forecasters tweaked their predictions slightly downward this afternoon after predicting this morning that most of Eastern Massachusetts would see 4 to 6 inches. They had warned that the storm might be a bust, a hope shared by many residents.

The snow comes as snowbanks still line the streets from last weekend’s Blizzard of 2013, which dropped more than 30 inches in some areas. A second storm also dumped 2 to 5 inches across the South Shore, the Cape, and the islands Wednesday night.

Temperatures will drop with the snowflakes Saturday night, bringing overnight lows in the teens for much of the state, including 13 degrees in Fitchburg, 19 in Brockton, 17 in Methuen, and 21 in Boston. The cold will stick around, too.

“Sunday will definitely not feel like today,” Foley said.

After the snow wraps up by 10 a.m., temperatures will remain in the 20s in Boston, accompanied by gusty winds as high as 37 miles an hour. Sunday’s overnight lows will be even colder than Saturday’s, with forecasted temperatures in the teens, and Monday’s highs right around freezing, accompanied by gusty winds. Tuesday could see highs near 40 degrees with rain, as another storm marches through New England Tuesday night into Wednesday, bringing gusty winds and yet another bout of snow.