Winter storm forecast for New England this weekend

Dig out your coats. Winter is coming back tomorrow and by Saturday morning some parts of New England could have eight or more inches of snow while coastal areas in particular would get some snow, sleet, and then rain.

A ''winter weather message'' posted shortly afternoon on the website of the National Weather Service center in Taunton says ''a developing powerful noreaster is expected to track along the coast Friday into early Saturday.

''The latest forecast information would bring the storm center over Buzzards Bay, a track which would bring warmer air off the ocean into eastern Massachusetts and turn the snow into sleet and freezing rain inland and rain along the coast.''

The NWS message covering much of central and eastern Massachusetts as well as Rhode Island and Connecticut points out the turn over to rain may not occur until late Friday night or early Saturday and in some areas only after several inches of snow had accumulated.

The weather service cautions also that ''a slight change in the track would result in either a snowier or wetter solution.''

The area which may get the heavy snowfall are mainly in western Massachusetts and southwestern New Hampshire.

After the storm system clears out cold by dry weather is expected for the remainder of Saturday and Sunday with temperatures in the high 40's returning on Monday.