Northeast Braces for What Could be Biggest Winter Weather Event So Far

A major snow and ice storm is going to roar through the Southeast before heading up to the major metropolitan areas of the Interstate 95 corridor. Read on for more information about this developing situation.

Brewing Storm System Could Strike the Northeast by the Weekend

Cities such as Washington, D.C., New York City, and Boston are going to be in the line of fire for a brewing winter storm by the end of the week. The system is currently coming together over Texas and is forecast to move to the east before taking a turn to the north and moving up the Atlantic Seaboard.

The forecast models are still unclear of the precise track of this system. While there is a chance that the storm could completely miss the cities of the Interstate 95 corridor, there is also a good possibility that these metro areas pick up meaningful snow and ice.

It has already been an active start to the year for winter weather. A storm that extended for over 1,500 miles hammered the central Plains before menacing the Ohio Valley and into the mid-Atlantic earlier in the week. The upcoming system is expected to take a more southern journey, dodging the bulk of the region that picked up the heaviest snow earlier. However, it could eventually turn to the north and bring more measurable snow to the mid-Atlantic to add to the weekly total.

Before potentially hitting the East Coast, the storm will spread throughout the South and cause significant travel disruptions. This is a part of the country that is not used to dealing with widespread snow and ice. Cities such as Dallas, Nashville, and Atlanta will be the first to experience the potential problems before the storm inches up the coastline and into southeastern New England.

The southern Appalachians are expected to get hit by this weather system. Many of the people in this region are still living in temporary housing as they recover from the impacts of last September's Hurricane Helene.

In the short-term, the storm will move along the Texas coast on Thursday on its way to Georgia and South Carolina by late Friday. While moisture typically falls as rain in this part of the country, a blast of Arctic air will support the development of rare wintry precipitation. Snow and ice is in the forecast for the southern Appalachians while an icy mix is expected across the Piedmont of Georgia and up into the Carolinas.

Metro areas such as Atlanta, Charlotte, and Raleigh will be grappling with slippery road conditions by dawn on Saturday. Warmer temperatures along the southeastern coastline will see rain out of this system. However, there is a chance that ice may fall at the start of the storm, eventually turning to a brief period of wet snow.

Colder air coming in on the back end of the system will send the mercury plummeting overnight Saturday. This means that any rain that falls may freeze over heading into early Sunday.

Nor'Easter a Possibility for the Mid-Atlantic and New England

Forecasters are studying the models to determine how far the storm will travel to the north. This track will influence how much snow falls along the Atlantic Seaboard and how much accumulation is expected. For instance, should the storm lose its intensity, it may track directly to the east. This would result in little snow accumulation in areas north of the mid-Atlantic. Should this track come to fruition, the heaviest snow bands will set up over northern North Carolina and up into southern Virginia, stopping short of reaching the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore area.

Conversely, if the storm should find more energy to work with when it reaches the southern Atlantic, it could strengthen and turn to the north. This track would bring plowable snow to Washington, D.C, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City, and as far north as Boston by late Saturday. The scenario would also result in higher winds along the coastal regions, hitting speeds that would qualify it as a nor'easter. While forecasters do not put a high chance of a nor'easter forming, it is still within the realm of possibilities.

The most likely scenario will be that the storm falls in the middle of the two possible tracks. This would mean significant snowfall for Virginia, eastern portions of Maryland, and the Delmarva Peninsula. The snow line could extend as far north as southern New Jersey, eastern portions of Long Island, and up the coast into Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Should the storm move straight out to the open ocean waters after impacting the Southeast, a ripple in the upper levels of the atmosphere to the north could still generate light snow for the central Appalachians and the upper mid-Atlantic through southern New England late Saturday and into early Sunday.

Because of all of the uncertainty surrounding the track of this system, residents of all of the East Coast will want to keep close tabs on its progression as the weekend approaches. There is likely to be significant delays throughout the day Saturday and into Sunday as the storm continues to churn.

Heading to the north, another round of lake-effect snow is in store for the Great Lakes beginning on Saturday. The snow is going to fire up in an area from Michigan and Ohio and over into Pennsylvania and New York. You can expect the lake-effect snow showers to linger through Monday in this region.

Lastly, a weaker storm system is forecast to track across the Midwest late Sunday, arriving to the Northeast by Monday. While this storm will pale in comparison to its predecessors this month, it may still bring about some degree of disruptions.

Stay tuned as we continue to keep you informed about all of these winter storms.

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