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Could a nor’easter storm be heading for the East Coast this week?
Following cold weather and life-threatening flooding over the weekend, a low pressure system will affect nearly 100 million Americans in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions this week.
It may end up being the largest snowstorm of the season for parts of the Mid-Atlantic, bringing over a foot, according to forecasting company AccuWeather.
“The brewing snowstorm will have two key pieces associated with it, “AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter said Monday. “Those being a fresh injection of Arctic air and the fact that it will be the caboose in the long train of February storms as the last storm in a series is often the strongest.”
The system is heading east on Monday, shifting out to the Rockies and into the Plains.
In Idaho, 15 inches had fallen in 24 hours at Grand Targhee Resort. Roads were closed in Colorado over the weekend as four to eight inches of snow fell in just a few hours. Snow squalls were possible there on Monday afternoon and evening.
Driving conditions deteriorated on Monday in Nebraska, and up to two inches were expected for the Lincoln and Omaha areas by Monday afternoon.
“We are tracking the heaviest snow moving through the metro now. Expect this to last the next one to two hours with light snow thereafter. Winter weather advisories are in effect. Best to avoid driving this morning if you can,” the National Weather Service’s Omaha office warned in a social media post.
Travel impacts are expected for major interstates, AccuWeather reported, with impacts to flights expected at major airports in Chicago and St. Louis.
There were already hundreds of cancellations and delays reported in New York, Boston, Washington, Philadelphia, Charlotte, and Chicago on Monday, according to tracker FlightAware.
“There appears to be two main areas where there is the potential for six or more inches of snow to fall,” Porter said. “One area is in portions of Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri due to the dry and powdery nature of the snow.”
Significant snowfall is possible for parts of Kansas, Colorado, and Missouri, according to FOX Weather. Between six and 10 inches are expected in parts of Kansas and Missouri.
The network said that whether or not the storm has the potential to become a Nor’easter depends on its track and moisture. If it moves over the Atlantic, there might not be major impacts in cities like Boston and Washington, D.C.
By Wednesday and Thursday, potential major impacts will be felt along the eastern U.S., including at least 0.25 of an inch of ice in Virginia and North Carolina. Up to a foot of snow may fall from Richmond to the nation’s capital.
“Snowfall accumulations in the Northeast, especially in New England, will be heavily dependent on the track of the storm,” said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kerry Schwindenhammer. “A sharper turn up the coast on Thursday could lead to noticeably higher amounts for places as far north as Boston, Providence, Rhode Island, and even Portland, Maine.”
Source: independent.co.uk
