Another round of snow targets Boston Friday, with higher totals possible north of the Pike

Wintry weather returns Friday as unsettled pattern holds over Massachusetts

Another round of snow is expected to reach the Boston area on Friday, Feb. 20, keeping a busy winter pattern in place across Massachusetts. Forecast guidance indicates a midday arrival of precipitation, followed by a transition to more persistent snow and the potential for several inches of accumulation in parts of the state.

Current projections show the most likely swath of higher snowfall amounts setting up across communities north of the Massachusetts Turnpike, with lower but still impactful totals closer to and south of the Pike. In Boston, forecast snowfall is generally in the low single digits, but forecasters caution that small shifts in storm track or temperatures could change totals quickly.

Timeline: a midday start with evening accumulation

Friday is expected to start largely dry before precipitation spreads in around midday. The first wave may fall as a mix of rain and snow in some areas, particularly closer to the coast and in lower elevations, before colder air supports steadier snow later in the day.

Accumulation is expected to increase during the afternoon and peak in the evening hours, a setup that can amplify travel impacts even when snowfall totals are moderate. Where temperatures hover near freezing, snow can turn wetter and heavier, and untreated roads can become slick as conditions fluctuate.

Snowfall ranges: north of the Pike favored for more

Forecast maps circulating Thursday morning showed an uptick in expected totals, with:

• 4 to 8 inches projected for areas north of the Massachusetts Turnpike, including parts of southern New Hampshire.

• 2 to 4 inches projected south of the Pike, including Boston.

These ranges are consistent with a pattern seen in several recent events this month, in which narrow bands or subtle temperature gradients have separated modest accumulations from more disruptive totals over short distances.

What could change the forecast

Key variables include the storm’s exact track, the timing of colder air, and whether a rain/snow line sets up near the coast. If warmer air pushes farther inland than expected, totals near Boston could be reduced by mixing or a change to rain for part of the event. If colder air arrives sooner or the storm intensifies as it moves through, heavier snow could expand southward.

Forecasters emphasized that updated snowfall maps reflect shifting model guidance, and totals remain sensitive to small changes in the atmosphere.

Beyond Friday: attention turning to early next week

While Friday’s system is expected to bring the next round of accumulation, longer-range forecasts are also monitoring the potential for a larger ocean storm early next week. That system’s impacts are less certain at this distance, but it adds to the possibility of additional winter weather disruptions heading into the start of the week.

For Friday, the most immediate concern remains the evening commute, when accumulating snow and near-freezing temperatures can combine for rapidly changing road conditions.