Major nor’easter threat looms as snowstorm set to blanket mid-Atlantic, southern New England

The Northeast faces the 5th straight weekend of snow as an intensifying storm will bring heavy snow, travel shutdowns and power outages from Delmarva to New York and southern New England.

For the latest storm and snowfall information on the nor’easter and upcoming blizzard, click this new story link.

A storm strong enough to cause accumulating snow and slippery travel will spread from West Virginia, Virginia, and Pennsylvania into the mid-Atlantic and southern New England, with blizzard conditions along the coast. There is a risk that the storm will strengthen quickly, bringing heavier snow to parts of the Interstate-95 corridor, including New York and Philadelphia.

“Not only will the storm trend toward a significant nor’easter with strong winds and heavy snow along parts of the Atlantic coast, but it could also strengthen into a bomb cyclone as it begins to move away,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Chad Merrill said. “A bomb cyclone is a storm that strengthens rapidly when the storm’s central barometric pressure drops by 0.71 inches of mercury (24 millibars) in 24 hours or less.”

“It is not out of the question that there could be blizzard conditions for some time Sunday evening, particularly in parts of the Jersey Shore, eastern Long Island and far southeastern New England, including Cape Cod, Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard,” said Dan DePodwin, AccuWeather vice president of forecast operations.

The storm, expected overnight Saturday into Monday, will follow a series of systems that will bring snow and ice to parts of the Midwest and Northeast, with a large area of ​​warm air remaining in place to the south through Saturday.

Now in California, it will reorganize on the Gulf Coast on Saturday before strengthening near the Atlantic Coast on Sunday.

Compared to the cold snowstorm of January 24-25, which was dry and powdery in nature, this storm will be quite warm, with heavy, wet snow. But, despite the wet nature of the snow, there could still be significant wind and drift due to high winds as well as whiteout conditions at times.

“The exact path of this storm, as well as how quickly it strengthens, will determine how much snow falls in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast,” DePodwin said. “The supply of cold air is limited, which could also affect snowfall.”

Despite the lack of cool, cold air ahead of the storm, there should be just enough cold air for precipitation to fall primarily as snow from Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia, New York and Boston. However, some of the snow could melt on contact with paved surfaces, DePodwin said.

“During the daytime Sunday and Monday, when snow is not falling heavily, highways and city streets may be simply wet or muddy in spots due to the near-freezing temperatures combined with the higher sunlight angle in late February,” DePodwin explained. “However, there will be periods when snowfall is significant enough to overcome marginal temperatures and sunshine, especially at night.”

In the thick of Sunday night’s storm, snowfall could reach 1 to 2 inches per hour, which could overwhelm road crews.

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Areas from Delaware and central New Jersey through Philadelphia and New York to Boston can expect 6 to 12 inches of snow, with 3 to 6 inches around Washington, DC. In the higher terrain of West Virginia, 6 to 12 inches of snow is also expected.

The AccuWeather Local StormMax™ measures 26 inches from late Saturday night through Sunday evening. Snowfall totals of more than a foot are most likely from Long Island to southern Rhode Island and Cape Cod.

As the storm strengthens off the Northeast coast, strong winds will develop from Delaware to Maine. Throughout the duration of the storm, winds will regularly gust up to 50 mph, with gusts above 60 mph most likely over Cape Cod and the islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket in southeastern Massachusetts.

These strong wind gusts will promote blizzard conditions across the region, including New York and Boston. Visibility will be close to zero and travel will be very dangerous in the event of the heaviest snowfall, particularly on Sunday evening.

As the storm rapidly intensifies along the coast, it will become a significant nor’easter, with its effects peaking Sunday evening and lingering through Monday morning.

Near-zero visibility and travel disruptions won’t be the only effects felt by strong winds, as heavy snowfall can also lead to regional power outages.

As winds pick up along the coast, tides will rise above astronomical levels, with some minor flooding possible at high tide. Some beach erosion will occur, particularly in eastern Massachusetts.

For parts of the Northeast, assuming this weekend’s storm plays out as predicted, this will be the fifth straight weekend of snow.

“Including the big storm weekend of Jan. 24-25, there have been at least some flakes in New York for four consecutive weekends so far,” said AccuWeather on-air meteorologist Ariella Scalese.

For the season so far, New York City is very close to the historical average with 22.3 inches of snow compared to the historical average of 22.1 inches.

During the roughly month-long period from January 19 to February 16, New York City recorded temperatures 9.4 degrees Fahrenheit below the historical average, including nine consecutive days where the temperature never reached freezing (32°F).

Much of the Northeast experienced temperature deviations of 6 to 12 degrees below the 30-year average during the same period.

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