By Kristina Pydynowski, Senior Meteorologist
February 6,2016; 9:51PM,EST
The new week will bring more opportunities for snow to create slick travel in the northeastern United States, starting with a winter storm set to sideswipe New England on Monday.
Enough snow to make for slippery conditions and disruptions to daily routines will fall across parts of the Northeast during the first half of next week, regardless of whether a major snowstorm takes shape.
The snow will come at the hands of a few winter storms. The first will track from the southeastern U.S. to Atlantic Canada from Sunday to Monday night. The other two will move into the Northeast after moving through the Midwest.
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The exact intensity and track of each system will determine how much snow will fall and the extent of the impacts in the Northeast.
Both storms will renew the threat of coastal flooding along the mid-Atlantic and New England coasts.
Even if heavy and windswept snow unfolds, a repeat of the late-January blizzard with 2-3 feet of snow over a large area appears highly unlikely.
Winter storm to sideswipe New England to start new week
After delivering snow to a part of the eastern Carolinas this weekend, the first storm will emerge from the Southeast and head toward Atlantic Canada.
The storm is expected to narrowly miss the coast of the mid-Atlantic on Sunday night but still overspread Long Island and New England, especially eastern areas, with snow late on Sunday night into Monday night.
Following Friday's snowstorm, residents in Providence, Rhode Island; Boston and Portland, Maine, will be faced with another round of disruptive snow and deteriorating travel conditions to start the new week.
Residents should prepare for slippery roads, possible flight delays and cancellations and the potential for school closures.
Southeastern Massachusetts will bear the brunt of the winter storm in New England. In addition to snow-covered roads, strong winds will further make travel difficult by whipping the snow around and leading to blizzard conditions.
The snow in this area will also be heavy, wet and difficult to shovel.
The western extent of the storm should even clip New York City. While little to no accumulation is expected in the city, the storm will be closely monitored for the potential the snow expands more to the west than is currently anticipated.
As the storm heads toward Atlantic Canada on Monday night, some snow may expand back across northern New England. Attention in the Northeast will then turn toward the next storm arriving from the Midwest.
Second storm to bring slick spots to more of the Northeast
The second storm tracking toward the Northeast will likely lead to more widespread nuisance snow and slick spots than the first. However, the first storm may offer the Northeast protection from a major snowstorm or blizzard from unfolding.
The track of the storm is expected to take it from the Midwest to the mid-Atlantic on Monday and then toward Nova Scotia on Tuesday.
Since the first storm is expected to be strong enough and track far enough out to sea, odds have decreased for the second to strengthen significantly into a major snowstorm along the New England coast. The ingredients for the storm to do so would instead be farther offshore.
That does not mean that the Northeast will escape nuisance snow and pockets of more disruptive snow.
As the storm initially reaches the mid-Atlantic on Monday, a mix of rain and snow will fall. Roads should stay mainly wet in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C.
Enough cold air will be in place for snow to stick on roads and lead to slow travel in the central Appalachians. That will mark the beginning of an extended period of snow streaming into the spine of the Appalachians through at least midweek.
An influx of colder air on the storm's northern and western side will allow a band of more disruptive snow to develop across the mid-Atlantic on Monday night into Tuesday.
The potential exists for an extended period of snow in the mid-Atlantic that will accumulate several inches, resulting in hazardous travel and delays.
The snow may not fall heavily over a large area, but will be persistent enough for a prolonged period of slippery travel and disruptions.
The track of the storm and intensity of the snow will determine which parts of the mid-Atlantic will be faced with nuisance to disruptive snow or a lighter snow with fewer travel problems. Rain may even mix in across the southern mid-Atlantic.
Steadier snow may also spread to southern New England on Tuesday depending on the storm's path, but should remain south of New Hampshire for the presidential primary. Instead, voters will face occasional nuisance snow and slick spots.
While parts of the Northeast and mid-Atlantic will escape the most disruptive snow from the two storms, the entirety of the two regions will endure progressively colder shots of arctic air from later this week into next weekend.
As the first shot of arctic air arrives, more nuisance snow may spread over New England from the final storm from the Midwest on Wednesday into Thursday.
Several snow chances this week, cold to follow
AccuWeather will continue to provide updates on the potential for storms and wintry precipitation in the Northeast in the coming days.
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