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Let it snow, already? Parts of Mass. get early flakes

E-mail|Link|Comments () October 16, 2009 07:46 AM

Len Lazure, Worcester Telegram

Early season snow coated grapes at the Charlton Orchard Farm and Winery on Old Worcester Road in Charlton this morning.

By Globe Staff

Yes, snow on Oct. 16.

Boston's northwestern suburbs and parts of the state got an early taste of winter this morning, as snow fell, gathering on car tops and yards.

The snow was expected to turn into rain, which has hit much of New England, the harbinger of what forecasters have said will be a wet, miserable, cold weekend. As it was, this morning's weather in the Greater Boston area -- with slight snowfalls reported from Newton to Fitchburg and north to Groton -- led to a slow commute on area roadways.

The worst time for wet weather, said National Weather Service meteorologist Charlie Foley, looks to be tomorrow night into Sunday.

Brisk winds and rain began last night, with snowfall in and around Worcester and Milford. The National Weather Service issued wind advisories for the southern coast and the Cape and Islands.

The storm is expected to deliver about an inch of rain. Foley said the big feature of this northeaster will be the winds, especially along the coast.

“There’s a possibility of wind gusts in the metropolitan area of 35 to 45 miles per hour,’’ Foley said. “It’ll be even stronger on the Cape and Islands, where it could be 45 to 55 miles per hour.’’

Meteorologist Hayden Frank, also with the Weather Service, said temperatures would be in the low 40s today, with highs in the upper 40s expected for the rest of the weekend.

For comparison, the average mid-October temperature in Boston is in the low 60s. Temperatures this weekend will be more suited to Thanksgiving than two weeks before Halloween.

The combination of rain and wind could wreak havoc on trees, which still have full branches of leaves.

That raises the potential for downed branches and power outages, Foley said.

Foley said the storm will coincide with high tides, which may lead to a possibility of flooding on east-facing coasts.

“We’re just looking at a miserable wet, windy, cool, raw weekend,’’ Foley said.

tags snow, weather