Forecast: Light Snow, Along With Colder Air, Heading To Boston

There will be some snow this week in the Boston area. We won't see a big storm, but there will be enough to return snow cover to the ground — and the colder temperatures coming in will keep it there.

The snowfall is expected to hit southern New England in the evening Tuesday, and it is expected to keep snowing through early Wednesday.

While I only expect a coating up to 2 inches, (although some areas could see about 3 inches), the latter part of the evening commute Tuesday and the early part of the commute Wednesday could be impacted. I'll have a better idea of the storm's timing in tomorrow's blog.

Sunlight Boost

Now that we've discussed the snow, on to some arguably cheerier news. There are a few annual events that I love to write about regardless of the weather. One of them is the first time this year that the sun will set after 5 p.m., and that is happening this week.

For the first time since early November, there will be more than 10 hours of daylight between sunrise and sunset. You might wonder what's the big deal? Why does it matter that the sun sets past 5 p.m.? Why 10 hours, and not 10 hours and 14 minutes?

The answer is that seeing the sun set after 5 p.m is very positive for your psyche. There's something about the sun going down after the work day ends that just makes people feel better.

The increase in daylight hours also helps plants, which begin to wake up as they receive 10 hours of daylight. As we continue to see the daylight grow, you will begin to hear more birds in the morning, too. You should start to listen for the songs of birds to change around Feb. 15. At this time, there's enough daylight to activate certain hormones in birds. They will sing louder and more frequently through early summer before the shorter amount of daylight quiets them for late summer, fall and the first three quarters of winter.

You can follow my weather updates on Twitter at @growingwisdom

Monday: Partly sunny and cooler. Highs in the mid-30s.

Monday Night: Some clouds. Cold. Lows 15-22.

Tuesday: Sunshine then become cloudy, some snow developing late in the day or at night. A coating to 2 inches possible. Highs in the mid-30s.

Wednesday: Snow or mixed rain, with precipitation ending early. Highs in the mid- to upper 30s.

Thursday: Mostly sunny. Highs 31-36.

Friday: Mainly sunny. Highs in the mid- to upper 30s.