Snow may slow travel in northeastern US next week

By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist

February 5,2016; 10:07PM,EST

 

 

A wintry pattern taking shape across the East next week will increase the odds for cold and snow.
The focus will be on two storms early in the week that could bring heavy snow to parts of the mid-Atlantic and New England Monday through Wednesday.
However, the extent and intensity of the snow are not set in stone at this time.
The areas of snow will evolve as arctic air advances eastward from the Midwest and two storms track northeastward near the Atlantic coast.

According to AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Elliot Abrams, "How extensive and how heavy the snow is from place to place will depend on how the colder air and the two storms interact with each other."
What to expect early next week
At this time, a repeat of the late-January blizzard with 2-3 feet of snow over a large area appears highly unlikely. It is also unlikely that snow will fall continuously during the three-day period from Monday to Wednesday. More often than not, there will not be accumulating snow during the period.
During the January blizzard, there was a very sharp northern edge to the snow. The storm setup for early next week is different. There are likely to be multiple pockets of accumulating snow intertwined with non-accumulating flurries scattered throughout the mid-Atlantic and New England.
There is the potential for enough snow to fall to create slippery travel, to cause disruptions to daily activities and to trigger flight delays from portions of Virginia to Maine during the first few days of next week.
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Depending on the track and strength of the storms and where the snow persists for several hours, parts of the region could receive a couple of inches to perhaps a foot of snow.
Scenarios on the snow next week
Most of the Northeast and mid-Atlantic will get at least light intermittent snow between Monday and Wednesday next week, with the potential for some areas to receive heavier amounts depending on the strength and track of two storms.
An storm system set to form off the Southeast coast over the Atlantic at the end of the weekend will be worth keeping an eye on for those living in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic. The path of this storm will be one puzzle piece for the complex weather pattern early next week.
This storm will take a path close to the East coast late Sunday night through Monday, potentially brushing eastern Long Island and coastal New England with snow before tracking into Nova Scotia. This track would mean more snow for those close to the coast. However, it is possible that it tracks far enough east and misses the East Coast altogether.
The strength of the Atlantic storm will play into which path it takes. Should the Atlantic storm become very strong, it is more likely to hug the coast and track into Nova Scotia.
Another batch of light to moderate snow and flurries, associated with a weaker Midwest storm, would then rotate eastward across the mid-Atlantic on Tuesday then track northeastward into Wednesday. This could lead to additional accumulating snow along the mid-Atlantic coast and into New England.
A second scenario would occur if the Atlantic storm remains weak and remains at sea on Monday. In this case, a swath of moderate to heavy snow may sweep from the mid-Atlantic through much of New England, with widespread and significant travel disruptions early next week. This would allow a second storm from the Midwest to become stronger and to move slowly toward the Northeast.
The Midwest storm will bring cold air across the Great Lakes toward the middle of the week. Some lake-enhanced snow will fall across the typical snowbelts through Wednesday.

Slippery travel can still develop even in light snow, so motorists will want to use caution. Voters in the New Hampshire primary will face chilly air and snow on Tuesday.
Only if one of the storms strengthens rapidly and stalls would snow accumulate 1-2 feet, leading to travel shutdowns.
AccuWeather will continue to provide updates on the potential for storms and wintry precipitation in the Northeast in the coming days.