Up to 3 inches of snow followed by rain will cause a “slow and messy’’ commute in the Boston area Monday, said Bill Simpson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Taunton.

The snow is expected to start at sundown Sunday and accumulate 1 to 3 inches in the Boston area before likely changing to rain by sunrise Monday, Simpson said. Rain should come to an end at 3 p.m. Monday, with the exception of areas west of Worcester, which will clear out last.

Simpson said Boston could see more snow late Wednesday and that will probably turn into a “wintry mix’’ of rain and snow Thursday.

This weather is typical for mid-December, but Boston has seen atypical snowfall in the past few years.

“For the month, normal is 9 inches,’’ Simpson said. “Last year we had less than an inch. In 2014, it was 3-tenths an inch of snow.’’

This weekend’s icy temperatures — which dipped into the low 20s — also fall in line with the month’s averages, Simpson said.

“We’re going into a cold period this week and mid-winter temperatures for much of the weekend,’’ he said. “It’s not too bad for mid-December.’’

Vanessa Nason can be reached at vanessa.nason@globe.com. Samantha Gross can be reached atsamantha.gross@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @samanthajgross.