WeatherFanatics: Nor'easter to Hammer DC, Philly, NYC and Boston

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Nor'easter to Hammer DC, Philly, NYC and Boston

By Alex Sosnowski, Expert Senior Meteorologist

February 12,2014; 5:48PM,EST

A storm bringing heavy ice and snow to the interior South at midweek will reach the Northeast Wednesday night and Thursday with heavy snow, wintry mix, gusty winds and disruptions to travel and daily activities.
The same storm disrupting flights at the major hubs of Atlanta, Dallas and Charlotte, N.C., in the South will take a tour of the Northeast before Valentine's Day. Airports from Washington, D.C., to Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City and Boston will experience trouble with this storm.

@FoxMariaMolina tweeted: "Winter storm that hits SE will move to the Northeast by Thursday and bring more snow- we have a snow surplus already!" Additional Relevant Tweets and Social Media Reaction

Flight delays and cancellations occurred well away from the storm, due to aircraft and crews being displaced at southern hubs on Wednesday.
A swath of heavy snow is projected by AccuWeather.com to reach from portions of western North Carolina, western and northern Virginia, the West Virginia mountains and northern Maryland to southeastern and central Pennsylvania, northern New Jersey, southeastern New York and central and northern New England.
This includes the I-81 corridor in Virginia, Maryland and part of Pennsylvania, as well as I-77 in North Carolina and Virginia and I-87 in New York.

The storm will start as accumulating snow throughout the I-95 corridor and most coastal areas in the Northeast.
According to Chief Meteorologist Elliot Abrams, "While a change to rain can occur along some of the I-95 cities and most areas along the coast, this will be a major storm throughout the corridor with enough snow to make for slippery roads and difficult travel."
RELATED:
AccuWeather.com Winter Weather Center
Northeast Interactive Radar
Get the Latest Reports on the Winter Storm
Even though the storm will move much faster through the Northeast, when compared to the South, it has the potential to bring a foot of snow in a swath north and west of the track of the center of the system. This is most likely from the northern and western suburbs of the I-95 cities in the mid-Atlantic and New England to the Appalachians.

Where snow mixes with or changes to rain, the added weight to the snow will not only make it difficult to shovel and plow. Increasing winds in part of the I-95 zone could bring down trees and power lines.
Well inland from the coast, where the precipitation falls as all snow, the storm will garner enough wind to cause blowing and drifting snow at the height of and in the immediate wake of the storm.
According to Senior Meteorologist Henry Margusity, "In some areas from parts of Virginia, northeastward to New England, it may seem like a blizzard at times."
Folks from the Atlantic coast up to the Appalachians of the mid-Atlantic and New England should prepare for a classic nor'easter.
As the storm strengthens Thursday into Thursday night, enough onshore wind may be generated to cause minor flooding at times of high tide from Delmarva to Maine.
The highest astronomical tides typically occur a day or so before the full moon, which happens to be on Friday, Valentine's Day. Water levels are likely to run about 2 feet above published levels from New Jersey on to the north.
There is the possibility of the power being knocked out in some of the same communities that were hit a week earlier.

For folks looking for a break in the cold, wintry pattern, a change to warmer weather is possible beginning around Feb. 17 or 18 and may continue through much of the balance of the month. The amount of flooding, if any, will depend on how quickly snow melts over the region and whether or not heavy rain accompanies the thaw.
Prior to the warmup next week, a more modest storm will swing from the Central states on Friday to the Northeast coast by Saturday.