A major snowstorm is expected to impact the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast into New England today into Thursday. Winter storm warnings (pink shading in the map below) stretch from northern North Carolina across the Allegheny Mountains through central Pennsylvania, into southern New England. Snowfall rates of 2-4” per hour are possible at the height of the storm along the spine of the Appalachians. This will create extremely difficult travel as the plows cannot keep up with these types of snowfall rates.
The big cities of the northeast will be hammered with a potpourri of wintry weather and some areas may just plain ole rain, some of it heavy. For the Philadelphia area, for example, snow amounts will be significant north and west of I-95 with the downtown area projected to get 6-8 inches. About 20 miles south of Philadelphia near Medford, NJ, less than an inch of snow is expected. Southern New Jersey into most of central and southern Delaware, mainly heavy rain is forecast. Coastal Flood Warnings have been hoisted for Atlantic City. One to two feet of inundation above ground level expected in low-lying areas near shorelines and tidal waterways.
Other major metropolitan areas including New York City, Albany, NY, and Worcester, MA are expected to pick up 12-18” of snow! The Boston, MA, area is forecasted to get 8-12” of snow, and minor coastal flooding is also possible. The Baltimore/Washington DC metro area is slated to get 1-3” of snow before switching over to freezing and then rain. The NWS is forecasting up to a quarter of an inch of ice accretion in Baltimore. From Northern Virginia into West Virginia, over a foot of snow is possible especially from the I-81 corridor and westward, as well as near the Mason-Dixon Line.
The track of this system has shifted more north and west, putting the Pittsburgh area at play for 6-12” of snow and slightly higher totals in Eastern Ohio. Any further shift in the track could affect the outcome of snow totals across the region.
The National Weather Service in State College is calling this a “historic storm” for their region. A large swath of central Pennsylvania is expected to pick up 18-24” of snow! Right now this bullseye appears to be just south and east of the I-99 corridor to near the I-81 corridor. Places like Bedford, Huntingdon, Carlisle, and Wilkes-Barre are expected to see this major snowfall. However, places along I-99, such as Altoona, Tyrone, and State College could also shift into that 18-24” range.
As you can see by the graphic above, some places such as Williamsport could break their all-time two-day snowfall record from this storm! Are you going to be affected by this storm? We would love to see your photos, tweet them to us @thestormreport or post them to our FaceBook! For the latest forecast from the National Weather Service, click here.
Sources:
The National Weather Service