Thursday, 4:30 PM
Snow squalls during evening rush, then record lows
By Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff
Winter just won't loosen its icy grip. Look out for blinding bursts of snow on the drive home this evening, followed by bone-chilling low temperatures cold enough to make the most hardened New Englanders dream of spring.
"We might break a few records," said Bill Simpson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Taunton.
Forecasters predict that scattered snow squalls could produce brief whiteout conditions on roads north and west of Worcester tonight as commuters are heading home from work. Closer to Boston, warmer temperatures should minimize the squalls, keeping the snow light and stopping it from sticking on highways and interstates.
By the time rush hour ends, temperatures are expected to begin a freefall that won't stop until the mercury bottoms out at minus 10 degrees away from the coast and in southwestern New Hampshire.
At sunrise Tuesday in Boston, the temperature could dip to 5 degrees, with a gusty northwest breeze pushing wind chills to minus 15 degrees. Further inland and in southwestern New Hampshire, wind chills may near 30 degrees below zero, Simpson said.
The lowest high temperature ever recorded in Boston on March 6 was 9 degrees in 1872. That mark probably will stand Tuesday, with highs predicted in the teens, Simpson said. Worcester and Providence, however, are both expected to break records.
Worcester is predicted to see a high of only 10 degrees, which would shatter the 1972 record of 18 degrees set on this date in 1972, Simpson said. The previous record in Providence was 23 degrees in 1923 is also expected to be broken, with highs predicted to be only in the teens.
The arctic air should keep New England on ice until at least Saturday, when temperatures are predicted to hit the upper 40s, which is normal for this time of year, Simpson said.
