Snowstorms Focus on Northern New England This Week

By Alex Sosnowski, Expert Senior Meteorologist

December 18,2012; 3:56PM,EST

Storms will continue to bring snow to northern New England and neighboring Canada through this week, while much of the balance of the region receives rain.
Snow enthusiasts in the major East Coast cities will have to head north.
A storm that moving up from the south Monday night has turned eastward over New England Tuesday and will soon drift just offshore.
While a wedge of warm air has eroded the snow, colder air will work back in Tuesday night into Wednesday, causing a change to a wintery mix or all snow in northern areas.

Up to a few inches of snow may fall over northern upstate New York and northern Vermont. However, a total of a foot of snow can fall on portions of northern Maine and northern New Hampshire into early Wednesday from the double-barreled event.
In addition to northern Maine, heavy snow can fall just north and west of Montreal. Temperatures right around the freezing mark in Montreal should prevent significant snowfall in the city. However, Quebec City is expected to see at least several inches of snow by the time the storm wraps up on Wednesday.

Farther south, as a brief push of colder air invades from the west, rain can become mixed with or change to wet snow before ending in part of the eastern Great Lakes to the central Appalachians this afternoon.

Another storm will take aim on the Northeast late in the week. This storm, like the others so far this week, will bring rain to most locations. However, a thick-enough wedge of cold air may hold on over northern upstate New York, northern New England and neighboring Canada for another round of heavy snow. The late-week storm will hit portions of the Midwest hard with disruptive and perhaps damaging consequences.

This will be a repeating scene over northern New England with each storm through the week. (Photos.com image)

The late-week storm will have great impact on the Midwest with a large area of high winds, snow, rain and a rapid freeze-up.
The most substantial lake-effect snow event of the season so far could follow that storm Friday into Saturday around the eastern Great Lakes. Whiteouts and dangerous travel conditions are possible from portions of West Virginia to western Pennsylvania and upstate New York.

Along the I-95 corridor, the combination of rain and gusty wind late Thursday into Friday, and very blustery conditions that follow Friday into Saturday can also lead to travel delays.
Strong south-to-southeast winds Thursday night into early Friday can also lead to minor coastal flooding problems in New England and Long Island for a brief time.
Because the onshore wind and rain will be brief, there will not be widespread major coastal and inland urban flooding problems.

For those hoping for a white Christmas this year, the odds are greatest where you might expect snow during late December. Meteorologist Meghan Evans has the details in "Stormier Pattern Increasing White Christmas Odds."