More Snow on the Way for Some Communities of the Northeastern U.S.

The Northeast is going to be at risk of seeing more snow and travel disruptions as the storm that got started over Texas late Wednesday moves across the Southeast before taking a turn to the north. While the worst of the impacts will occur in the southern part of the country, that does not mean that the Northeast will escape the storm's wrath. Here is a look at what the northeastern U.S. should expect in the hours ahead.

More Snow on the Horizon for Parts of the Northeast

Residents of the Northeast should get the snow shovels back out as more wintry precipitation is likely headed that way. The major winter weather maker that has been unleashing rare snow and ice accumulation to the southern U.S. is forecast to take a turn to the north and move up the coast and into the Northeast and southern portions of New England by the weekend.

The most significant snow accumulation is likely to remain south of Washington, D.C. However, measurable snow is expected to sneak up into portions of the Midwest, the central Appalachians, the mid-Atlantic, and southern New England. You can expect the first flakes to begin to fly shortly after the lake-effect snow event currently hitting the interior Northeast begins to dissipate. The timing of the latest storm will mean that many communities will not see a break from the winter weather.

A large part of the central U.S. and into the mid-Atlantic picked up disruptive levels of snowfall on Sunday and Monday. The latest weather system will creep farther to the south than the early week event, bringing more people into its path. The silver lining is that the west-to-east steering breezes currently circulating over the eastern U.S. will mitigate the odds of this storm developing into a powerful nor'easter.

The system will move at a fairly fast clip once it reaches the coastal Northeast. The areas of the region most likely to see accumulating snowfall of 1 to 3 inches will be across central and southern West Virginia and Virginia and over to the eastern shoreline of Maryland. Central and southern portions of Delaware and South Jersey will also see snowfall of this amount with some localized pockets of 3 to 6 inches a possibility. The higher terrains of West Virginia and southwestern Virginia could see snowfall levels eclipse the 6-inch mark.

Places such as Charleston, West Virginia should expect 1 to 3 inches of snow overnight Friday afternoon with flurries remaining in place through Saturday morning. Highs will hover at about the 30-degree mark on both Friday and Saturday. After bottoming out in the mid 20s for a low on Friday, the mercury will land in the upper teens overnight Saturday and into Sunday.

More accumulation is likely for coastal areas such as Virginia Beach. This part of the mid-Atlantic coastline is forecast to see about 3 to 5 inches of snow overnight Friday and into Saturday. Another inch could accumulate on Saturday before the system finally pushes out to sea. Highs will bounce around in the upper 30s both Friday and Saturday with overnight lows forecast to slide to about the 30-degree mark. It will be a breezy time period with winds clocking in at speeds of 10 to 20 mph from the northwest.

Different Snow Maker Could Send the Flakes Flying Elsewhere

A weaker storm ejecting out of the Midwest to end the week will be the biggest producer of snow for areas north of Washington, D.C., including Philadelphia and New York City. This snow is not likely to cause major disruptions as it will be mostly spotty and light.

For instance, Pittsburgh is forecast to pick up snowfall accumulations ranging between 1 and 3 inches on Friday night with light flurries sticking around through Saturday morning. The Steel City is predicted to see highs in mid to upper 20s through the weekend with readings dropping into the low 20s overnight. Winds will pick up slightly on Saturday, hitting speeds of 10 to 15 mph from the west.

However, the cold temperatures will mean that airlines will need to trigger de-icing operations, creating flight delays. The storm's arrival in the southern U.S. will inevitably cause airline delays as well, leading to a ripple effect of disruptions throughout the nation's airline network.

The zone most likely to escape with just a light dusting of snow will be along the upper mid-Atlantic coast as it will fall between the two systems. Additionally, the New England region will also just likely see a coating to an inch of accumulation as a result of the storm that originated in the Midwest.

Some parts of Long Island and up through Cape Cod, Massachusetts may experience a brief period of heavy snow if the southern storm extends this far north. The system will also need to hold onto its energy sources for this region to see significant accumulation, a big question mark at this point.

Cold Air to Push Through Behind Storm

As has been the pattern with the last few storm systems, bitterly cold Arctic air will push in behind the storm. This will translate to another dip in the mercury for the Midwest, the Great Lakes, the Ohio Valley, and the Northeast into next week.

Forecasters are warning that next week could end up being the coldest air of the winter thus far. A good part of this will be blamed on the existing snow cover across this part of the country.