Washington, DC received several inches of snow, the first time more than one inch was measured in over two years.
“This next storm won’t pack the punch of the early week nor’easter and 18-36 inches certainly isn’t the forecast this time around,” said CNN Meteorologist Taylor Ward.
“However, there will be a swath of 4-8″ from the southern Appalachians through the mid-Atlantic and into the Northeast. If the low pressure is able to track closer to the coast these forecast totals could increase,” Ward said.
Snow timing
Low pressure will develop off the southeastern US coast Saturday night and will move up the East Coast while strengthening.
Snow will begin Saturday evening across the higher elevations of northern Georgia and the western Carolinas.
Travel may become dangerous with temperatures near or at freezing, causing slippery conditions.
A different weather disturbance sweeping in from the west will also bring up to 2 inches of snow to much of the Ohio River Valley. This disturbance will become absorbed into the developing coastal storm.
On Sunday, an expansive shield of snow will overtake much of the mid-Atlantic, while creeping into New England. Flakes may even fall in the Delmarva region, depending on the nor’easter’s trajectory.
Snow will end for the mid-Atlantic by Sunday night as the system will quickly exit offshore.
Light to moderate snow will still remain possible in New England before all locations see an end to the snowfall by Monday morning.
Uncertain track
This nor’easter may follow a very favorable track that past storms have trailed, allowing for snow across most of the I-95 corridor, even coastal locations.
“Unlike the early week storm where Cape Cod received mainly rain, there will be more cold air in place due to the track of the low and they could end up seeing the greatest snow totals in this storm,” Ward said.
The model guidance is not locked in on the exact track, however, so any wiggle will affect the forecast. If the storm tracks more to the west, that will lead to rain and mixed precipitation near the coast. A more offshore track will focus the snow at the coast and very little further inland.
Winter storm warnings are in effect from Georgia through Massachusetts, highlighting that the risk is high for impactful snowfall.
Temperatures are forecast to be near or slightly above the freezing mark near the major mid-Atlantic cities, like Washington, DC and Philadelphia.
Across the New York City area and New England, temperatures will likely be cooler. Widespread temperatures in the 20s are predicted inland, favoring snow thanks to cold air feeding in from the north.
“This low looks like a classic 4-8 inch snow maker, with amounts dependent on the track. Right now, all of the modeling […] are too far east to place these higher amounts across the [New York City area],” according to the National Weather Service office in New York.
In addition to the snow, some gusty winds will be possible.
The strongest winds are expected at the southeastern Massachusetts coast and the islands, where gusts can exceed 40 mph. This will reduce visibility and potentially lead to blizzard conditions.
