Nor'easter Impacting Boston, New England

By Alex Sosnowski, Expert Senior Meteorologist

November 7,2012; 9:00AM,EST

A nor'easter will affect Boston and much of New England later Wednesday into Thursday with the usual bells and whistles ranging from wind, rain, rough seas, coastal flooding and even snow in some areas.
The storm is forecast to reach maturity along the mid-Atlantic coast, then weaken somewhat moving farther to the northeast. As a result, this will be more of a routine November storm for the region.
For portions of northern New England, the impact from wind, rain and coastal flooding from this track could be more significant than that of Sandy, which drove ashore, well south of the region.
Northeast winds will produce water levels from 2 to 4 feet above normal tide along the east coast of Massachusetts with lesser water levels along Rhode Island and Maine coastline.

Wave action combined with the storm surge can lead to beach erosion. Offshore, waves can reach 25 feet.
Winds will be strong enough to down some trees and cause sporadic power outages. Gusts can reach 60 mph in southeastern Massachusetts. However, gusts to 40 to 50 mph will be more common elsewhere.
Not enough rain is forecast to fall to cause issues with small streams, but enough can fall, combined with fallen leaves to lead to urban flooding issues.
The recent push of cold air in the region will be enough to bring snow to western and northern New England. Snow can mix in as far south as New York City, but any snow in the Boston area will be very brief and limited to the onset of the storm late Wednesday.

Folks heading westward along the Mass. Pike should expect slow travel due to low visibility in snow, windswept rain and mainly wet roads. However, secondary roads well west can be slushy and slippery, especially over the high ground.
Portions of central and western Massachusetts can wind up with a half a foot of snow.