Snow to move away from region after midnight; roads may be slippery

By Lauren Dezenski and Colin A. Young, Globe Correspondents

The winter that will never end.

Yet another storm system is moving through the region tonight, this one expected to leave up to 4 inches in parts of Southeastern Massachusetts and Cape Cod, the National Weather Service says.

While meteorologists said they expect only a coating to an inch of snow across much of the eastern part of the state, including Boston, snow totals will increase south of the city. In some areas, 1 to 3 inches are expected, with the highest accumulations on Cape Cod and the southeast coast.

“So far, the highest total we’ve heard is five inches in Marshfield,” meteorologist Hayden Frank, of the weather service, said Thursday night. “It’s generally been two to three inches across Southeastern Mass., with some spots a little higher.”

The snow is expected to reduce to flurries and taper off before daybreak Friday, Frank said.

“The axis of the snow will gradually shift east and, after midnight, confine itself to mostly just the Cape and Islands,” he said. “There could still be light snow and flurries around, though.”

Though the Friday morning commute likely will not be affected by the snowfall, the weather service is reminding drivers to be careful on slick roads.

“With temperatures below freezing, especially on secondary roads and walkways, you’ll have to watch out for black ice and snow powder on roadways that haven’t been treated,” Frank said.

Beginning Friday, the mercury will finally budge from the 30s, and slowly climb into the mid-40s by Sunday, though still remaining below normal through next weekend. Boston is expected to hit 46 degrees on Sunday — a heat wave compared to this week’s temperatures, yet still shy of the normal high of 49 degrees.

Temperatures probably will not break the 50-degree threshold until at least next weekend, Frank said.

There’s a chance for a storm on Monday, but that chance is slight, with the system looking like it will pass too far south to affect the Bay State.