Snowstorm Boston to Portsmouth and Portland

By Alex Sosnowski, Expert Senior Meteorologist

January 21,2013; 5:55PM,EST

A strengthening storm will throw a swath of heavy snow over portions of eastern New England Monday night into Tuesday.
The combination of advancing arctic air, a storm and a feature, known as a Norlun Trough, will bring moderate snow from Providence, R.I., to Boston. There is the potential for heavy snow on Cape Cod.
According to Expert Senior Meteorologist Bernie Rayno, "There is the potential for a foot of snow just north of Boston, from Portsmouth, N.H., to Portland, Maine."

The latest snowfall map is available on the AccuWeather.com Winter Weather Center.

Storms like this can be deceptive to novice weather hobbyists in that they may appear to only have the potential to bring a light amount of snow. While this is true in a general sense, the trough associated with the storm works to focus the snow in a small area.

A general snow of 3 to 6 inches of snow is forecast on the coast from eastern Massachusetts to Maine with locally higher amounts.
"This particular setup can bring 2- to 4-inch-per-hour snow in a narrow zone over a several-hour period. Hence the concern for a foot of snow in some locations," Rayno said.

Unlike many snowfalls so far this winter, this snow will not be in a hurry to melt.
Consistent cold air is in store this week.
Daytime highs most days this week starting Tuesday in eastern New England will range from the low 20s in the south to the teens in the central coast to the single digits in the north.
Additional storms originating from western Canada, known as Alberta Clippers, will drop across the Great Lakes and then off the mid-Atlantic or New England coast through the weekend.

These will vary in intensity and track, but can bring anything from spotty snow showers to general light to moderate snowfall.

It is very possible that by the end of the week, most areas in the mid-Atlantic and New England will have snow on the ground.