Storm Update: Cape & Islands to Get Mostly Rain Sunday

HYANNIS – The winter storm impacting Massachusetts on Sunday is expected to now bring mostly rain to Cape Cod and the Islands.

Forecasts earlier in the weekend indicated the Cape could have seen up to four inches of snow in some areas.

Warmer air coming in off the ocean will result in heavy rain throughout the day on Sunday with a mixing of sleet and freezing rain in the evening as the temperature drops.

The National Weather Service has issued a coastal flood watch, flood watch and wind advisory for the area throughout the day.

That could bring beach erosion to some areas.

As the temperature plummets on Sunday there’s the possibility of a flash freeze across the area heading into Monday as temperatures drop to around 10 degrees.

Statewide, the main line of icing has shifted north and west.

The greatest risk for flash freeze ups is along and to the south of the Boston to Providence corridor.

As warmer air moves rapidly in, much of the state will experience a gradual transition from snow to a wintry mix of sleet and freezing rain.

Early to mid-afternoon, rapidly falling temperatures and increased winds will bring snow back into the western area of the state, and a wintry mix of sleet and freezing rain in central, eastern and northeastern Massachusetts.

Sunday through Monday morning increased winds will develop across the state with winds gusts of 25- 35 mph inland, 30- 40 mhp on the east coast, and 40- 50 mph on the Cape and Islands.

Temperatures are expected to plummet Sunday night into early Monday with wind chills near of below zero on Cape Cod.

Eversource says they are ready for this weekend’s winter blast.

The energy company has line workers, tree crews and support staff ready to respond to any outages.

They’re also encouraging customers to prepare for the possibility of outages.

“We are closely monitoring weather conditions and planning accordingly so we have crews in position to respond and be there for our customers when they need us,” said Eversource Vice President of Electric System Operations Doug Foley.

“Given the extremely cold temperatures we’re expecting following the storm, it’s crucial for customers to take precautions and prepare in the event of power outages.”