Forecast: Snow, Sleet And Rain To Hit The Area Tuesday

Colder air filtered into the area overnight after a nice Sunday. Temperatures on Sunday got into the 40s. The little snow that was left on my lawn mainly disappeared. You can now feel the increasing strength of the sunshine.

Today, there shouldn't be any issues with the forecast. A few clouds will dot the sky, but generally, it's a pretty typical early February day. Temperatures this afternoon will be similar to Saturday, in the lower 30s, along with noticeable wind gusts in the afternoon.

Weather challenges begin Monday night. Once again, as we have had so much this winter, warmer air is going to start riding north and run into the colder air in place at the ground. This creates a situation where the warm air rises up and over the cold air. This process leads to clouds and precipitation. Since cold air will be in place Tuesday morning, snow is likely. The question is how quickly will warm air overcome the cold, changing the snow to a mixed bag and eventually rain.

The map below shows how much snow I am expecting before a change to rain along the coast and south of the Massachusetts Turnpike. If the cold air holds on a bit longer than I expect or departs faster, I will need to update the snowfall map.

Timing of this event isn't good.  It looks like the Tuesday morning commute will be impacted and could be a lot slower than usual. Some schools will no doubt be delayed and across northern Massachusetts we may have the rare — at least for this year — snow day.

After some early rain Wednesday, skies clear, and I expect a mild afternoon. Highs will reach around 50 degrees, and there will be melting. Colder and dry weather returns the rest of the week. I will be watching an ocean storm Thursday, which will likely miss us, but ocean storms can't be disregarded until they are far away.

You can follow my weather updates on Twitter at @growingwisdom

Monday: Mostly sunny. Highs 30-35.

Monday Night: Clouding up, some snow by morning. Lows 22-30.

Tuesday:Snow in the morning, changing to mixed sleet and freezing rain. Rain Cape Cod and Islands. Highs 28-36.

Wednesday: Early showers, then clearing with some sunshine. Highs around 50.

Thursday: Lots of clouds. Highs 31-34.

Friday: Sunshine and clouds. Highs in the low 30s.