By Alex Sosnowski, Expert Senior Meteorologist
January 21,2015; 10:02PM,EST
A storm poised to hit this weekend could bring the first widespread heavy snowfall of the winter to the Interstate-95 Northeast corridor.
According to AccuWeather.com Chief Meteorologist Elliot Abrams, "Unlike many storms this winter, this particular one has the potential to bring a foot of snow to some locations, where rain fails to mix in."
How much snowfall versus rainfall will depend on the exact track of what will become a significant coastal storm.
At this time, people traveling to, from or through the Atlantic coast on Saturday into Saturday night should expect major delays due to rain in the South and snow or a wintry mix farther north.
Accumulating snow is most likely to fall from the mountains of western North Carolina, eastern Kentucky and western Virginia to southern and eastern Pennsylvania, northern New Jersey, the lower Hudson Valley of New York state and southeastern New England. Enough snow is likely to fall to shovel and plow in this area.
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Included in the potential swath of accumulating snow is the Interstate-95 corridor from Washington, D.C., and Baltimore to Philadelphia, New York City and Boston. Even though rain could mix in over all or part of this zone, roads will be slippery during much of the storm. Airline delays are likely with the potential for cancellations.
"Where the snow is heavy and wet, there could be trees coming down with power outages," Abrams said.
Motorists should expect difficult travel in the I-81 swath from Virginia to Pennsylvania due to slippery and snow-covered roads.
How quickly the storm strengthens will determine how nasty the weather gets in New England. A full-fledged nor'easter or blizzard could hit part of New England with blowing and drifting snow, as well as the potential for damaging wind gusts and coastal flooding.
The storm will behave differently than the storm from last Saturday in that in most cases this will be a snow, rain or snow/rain mix, rather than an extended period of freezing rain. Some sleet can be mixed in as the storm transitions to rain in some coastal areas of the mid-Atlantic and New England.
Over much of the southern Atlantic Seaboard and the Piedmont areas of the Carolinas, enough rain can fall to cause urban flooding problems.
Since the storm is still days away, and a shift in track farther to the east or west by as little as 50 miles could have a huge impact on snowfall accumulation, a snowfall forecast map will not be released until later this week.
Another storm with snow may swing from the Midwest to the coastal Northeast during the first part of next week.
More information on the storms will continue to unfold and be released as it becomes available on AccuWeather.com this week.
The first major snowstorm of the season may be on tap for DC to Philly, NYC and Boston this weekend. ow.ly/HHgnP
Travel plans this weekend? If they involve the Northeast, heads up! #snow accuweather.com/en/weather-new…
- Caleb Miller · Hanover, PennsylvaniaMaybe my wish for the BIG ONE will come true! Bring it on! I love snow.
- Debbie Scott · Follow · Top Commenter · Https://www.facebook.com/palmeritransportation?fref=ts at Palmeri TransportationI love snow.. and have been waiting all winter for our 'first big' storm.. GOD I hope those weathermen(and women) are right.. I could not stand to be disappointed yet again by a ton of hoopla and no substance!
- Roz Stimpel · Works at Fairway MotorsQuick! PANIC. RUN and buy milk, bread and eggs! Lol. Why do people do tagt? #FRENCHTOAST???
- Deshaun Divinityz Peterson · Top Commenter · BMCCThis has not happened in a while, When was the last time you have herd of all 3 Major locations.. Boston, NYC, and Washington DC getting lots of snow all from the same storm?
This is an absolutely beautiful pattern change, hopefully one that will stay for the rest of winter, Shoot to break the snow records mother nature Woo! - Jeffrey M. Martire · Farmingdale Senior High SchoolRelax ? Try plowing snow for 12 hrs on your day off then come home and shovel your property out. Been an ameteur meteorologist since a kid. Last year started the over sensational forecasting. It's grsat to get information but it's doomsday worst scena
- Kitsune Hazard · FollowLast year? Over sensational weather forecasts have been thing for a couple of decades now. I seem to recall a certain "blizzard" that was to hit Philadelphia back in the late '90s and we got 1" of snow. Also the same year predicted to get a record snowfall throughout the winter we had a total of 3". Dallas, TX had more.
- Suz Protz · Top Commenter · Fairleigh Dickinson University
- Joshua Miller · Top Commenter · Undercover Agent, posing as Oil Changer at Curtin Livery at Curtin TransportationBRNG IT ON! Its going to happen eventually,, may as well get it over with! I've had my plow and spreader on my quad for a month,, gotten nothing so far. I work on Saturdays so the only downside will be driving home... but that's what 4 wheel drive is for!
- Aaron Ginther · Top Commenter · Lynchburg, VirginiaDoes the potential exist for Lynchburg, VA? I live about 45 miles east of the I-81 corridor.
- Arthur Yagudayev · Top Commenter · Volunteering at WATD 95.9 FMAll the models say the storm is a go, and even the Euro is predicting up to a foot plus in New York City, but one model, also a very reliable model, the GFS is saying the storm will only clip the NYC area bringing the tr-state area nothing more than a few rain/snow showers. I hate to say it, but I think the GFS will win out. The reason for this is the blocking is to weak right now as the North Atlantic Oscillation is mostly positive right now.
- Jeffrey M. Martire · Farmingdale Senior High Schoolover sensationalize storms worry all. clipper was to give 2-4 we got barely inch again..no cold air major winter storm? rain mix ocean temps up.this year...its not last year 2014 pattern relax and give modest forecasts.
- JamieandZaira Martin · Top Commenter · University of the Nations
- Ryan Brumbaugh · Top CommenterI hope it misses all the major cities. Get tired of hearing non stop about the NE and seems like they are more important than any other location in America. Go GFS and out to sea further to allow rain more so then snow.
- Cathy Szewc · Top CommenterCaleb I don't enjoy traveling in the snow. The storm could wreck my birthday dinner plans dang it! And at my age I don't know how many more birthdays there will be....
- PJL PhotographyUpdated radar has it going south of us here in New England.....thank God.
- Lawrence P. Bansbach · Top Commenter
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