Winter Weather Advisory effective Fri until 7pm, beginning at 6am for northern RI and nearby MA and at 10am for southern RI.
At Providence, rain starting Thu 10am may change to freezing rain or sleet Fri 11am and possibly to snow 8pm before ending by 11pm. Median accumulation is 0.1 inches, with probability 38% for at least 0.1 in and near 0% for 1 in.
The main risk is temperatures in the range of 50F around Fri sunrise crashing down through the freezing point at mid-day and then below 20F at night, causing water on road surfaces and elsewhere to turn dangerously icy, possibly quite suddenly. Many schools and businesses have announced closings for the day in expectation of these travel conditions, and RI DOT has warned to be alert to flash freezing of road surfaces.
The change to frozen precipitation Fri afternoon may cause difficulty traveling due to icy road surfaces, particularly during the evening commute. Ice accretions exceeding 0.1 in could cause some damage to trees and power lines.
No further precipitation is expected through Wed.
