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WAKEFIELD

The National Weather Service’s Wakefield station is forecasting a 40-percent chance of snow in the Franklin area on Thursday as temperatures drop into the mid-20s.

According to NWS Meteorologist Alec Butner, if snowfall occurs, it will likely begin on Thursday afternoon, and may continue into the early morning hours of Friday.

“We’re certainly watching the potential; nothing is set in stone yet,” Butner said, acknowledging that there was “a little more uncertainty” in the NWS forecast than is typical, owing to some computer models showing different solutions.

The forecast as of Tuesday afternoon, he said, predicts that the Franklin area could receive anywhere from half an inch to one inch of snow. This, he said, is part of a storm system that will be heading south, and is expected to pass through the area quickly once it arrives. Low pressure is predicted to intensify off the southeast coast on Thursday night into Friday while arctic high pressure builds in from the northwest.

The high for Thursday is forecast at 42 degrees with a low of 26. Friday is forecast to be sunny with a high near 39 and a low around 23 that evening, with skies remaining clear.

Thus far, winter 2019-2020 temperatures have been above normal. According to the NWS’s January 2020 review, average temperatures were generally five to seven degrees warmer than normal, though the long-term climate sites at Richmond and Norfolk did not quite place among the top 10 warmest Januaries on record.