Snowstorm headed to Northeast, including DC, Philly, NYC and Boston

A wintry pattern from late Saturday to Monday morning will dump enough snow to shovel and plow in areas from West Virginia to Maine as well as trigger a slew of travel problems on interstates and at airports, AccuWeather meteorologists warn.

Much colder air will filter into Northeast states after a fairly mild start to the weekend, with a weak storm bringing some rain and drizzle along the coast. That fresh Arctic air will pave the way for a second storm later this weekend, which will bring snow to many areas.

The snow will cover streets, major highways and prompt deicing delays at area airports. A surge in flight cancellations is also likely with the storm impacting most major hubs in the Northeast.

“This will likely end up being the first general snowstorm for portions along and north of the Interstate 95 corridor for the mid-Atlantic and New England, as storms this winter have not hit all of the areas with significant snow all at once,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Tom Kines said. “Portions of eastern New England have received hardly any snow at all so far this winter.”

The steadiest swath of snow may be just to the northwest of Interstate 95 from Washington, D.C. to Boston. Locations farther north and west of the major artery in the more traditional snowy spots of the northern and western suburbs of the major cities can also pick up a round of heavy snowfall from this event.

This zone is forecast to receive 3-6 inches of snow, with the storm’s fast-forward speed preventing much heavier amounts along this corridor. However, some spots in the mountains of West Virginia and from east-central Pennsylvania through southeastern Maine can pick up over 6 inches.

“We are very confident that snowfall amounts will tend to ramp up from southwest to northeast in the region with the greatest amounts likely in New England,” AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said.

The snow will move into Philadelphia for tailgating ahead of the National Football League playoff game at Lincoln Financial Field, creating slippery conditions and poor visibility that can be a factor in the game. Snowfall rates of one-half to three-quarters of an inch per hour are possible later in the afternoon and evening for a time around Philadelphia and much of I-95.

Snowfall with the storm could reach 1 foot in the mountains of New England and, depending on the storm track, parts of the Poconos in northeastern Pennsylvania and the Catskill Mountains in southeastern New York state could approach that number as well. A sharp northwestern cutoff to the accumulating snow is likely with the storm, so areas in western Pennsylvania and western and central New York may receive little or no snow prior to the ramp-up of lake-effect snow.

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“There is some data that suggests the storm could strengthen fast enough to be dubbed a bomb cyclone,” Kines said.

The storm’s central barometric pressure would have to plummet 0.71 of an inch of mercury (24 millibars) or more in 24 hours or less, most likely from Sunday morning to Monday morning, with a track from near southeastern Virginia to Atlantic Canada.

The storm will strengthen enough to create harsh winds in its wake from Sunday night through Monday and into Tuesday. The storm’s circulation will help pull in the coldest air of the winter that traveled all the way from Siberia.

The anticipated frigid conditions and safety concerns have caused organizers to move the presidential inauguration indoors on Monday, which is also Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Areas made wet and slushy by the storm will be at risk of freezing solid on Monday with little or no natural melting anticipated through the middle of the week.

More winter storms brewing in the Southern states will be monitored closely for a turn up the Atlantic coast next week as well.

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