On the heels of a frigid weekend that saw temperatures drop close to zero overnight, a winter storm is expected to bring snow to the Pioneer Valley beginning early Monday afternoon and continuing into early Tuesday.
The forecast calls for between 4 and 8 inches of what could be wet snow along much of the Connecticut River Valley, making for slippery road conditions for the afternoon commute on Monday, according to the National Weather Service.
Kristie Smith, a meteorologist with the Taunton office of the National Weather Service, said on Sunday that Springfield is projected to get between 6 and 8 inches of snow and Greenfield between 4 to 6. Accumulations in Northampton, Amherst and other area communities will likely be in between those totals.
Higher accumulations could take place in the Hilltowns, according to the National Weather Service and Western Mass Weather, the extensive website maintained by Dave Hayes the Weather Nut in South Deerfield.
“We are expecting this to be fairly wet snow,” said Smith, who noted that moist air off the ocean will be funneling into the region by Monday evening. “It will be less shovel-friendly than the other snowfalls we’ve had so far this winter.”
However, the snow farther west in the hilltowns should be somewhat drier, Smith noted.
The valley will likely dodge heavier accumulations expected in the Berkshires, the Worcester region and north of Boston, and in much of Connecticut. The National Weather Service is expecting 12 to 18 inches in the Berkshires, 8 to 12 inches in Worcester and 8 to 12 inches in Hartford, Conn.
On his website, Hayes writes that the western hilltowns could see 10 to 15 inches of snow.
Snow will likely begin falling in this region sometime early Monday afternoon, Smith said, and will become heavier in late afternoon and in the evening while continuing overnight. Small accumulations of an inch or less are possible into Tuesday.
Steve Pfarrer can be reached at spfarrer@gazettenet.com.