Storm to pound northeastern US with rain, wind and spotty ice

By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist

February 22,2016; 10:20PM,EST

 

 

As a snowstorm takes aim at parts of the Midwest, the same storm will bring mostly rain but also gusty winds, sporadic flooding and spotty ice to the northeastern United States spanning Tuesday to Thursday.
"With the storm taking a track west of the Appalachians, warmer air will stream northward over much of the eastern quarter of the nation, resulting in rain for many areas," According to AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Elliot Abrams.
Most of the rain will fall in two batches.
The first batch will spread northward through the mid-Atlantic states on Tuesday into Tuesday night and will affect New England during Tuesday night into Wednesday.

Enough cold air will be in place at the onset of the first round of rain to allow pockets of freezing rain and sleet. Most of the ice will be short-lived and generally limited to areas from central and northern Pennsylvania and upstate New York to interior New England.
Along Interstate 95, the storm will be all rain in Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Philadelphia. A mixture of snow, sleet and freezing rain may precede the rain from New York City to Boston and Portland, Maine.
The second batch of rain will be the heaviest in most locations and will swing northeastward across the mid-Atlantic states during Wednesday and Wednesday night, before affecting New England Wednesday night into Thursday.

Gusty winds will precede, accompany and follow the second batch of rain. Most gusts will range between 40 and 50 mph, but can be higher close to the coast.
While the greatest risk of severe thunderstorms will stretch from Virginia on south, it is possible the storm may produce a squall line, which is a combination of brief torrential downpours and strong winds, along much of the I-95 corridor.
"This week's squall will hit Wednesday night, after most people are home from work and school from Washington, D.C., to New York City," According to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski.
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The squall will hit portions of New England during Thursday morning and midday, including Hartford, Connecticut; Providence, Rhode Island; Boston and Portland, Maine.
The squall will be potent enough to cause poor visibility and a risk of hydroplaning for motorists, as well as the potential for airline delays.
In addition to the threat for urban flooding, downed tree limbs and sporadic power outages, there could also be a period of coastal flooding.
"Strong south to southeast winds will push Atlantic Ocean water toward Long Island and the southern coast of New England with the risk of minor coastal flooding at times of high tide during Wednesday night," Pydynowski said.
Away from the Atlantic Seaboard, the second batch of rain will be longer lasting and will thoroughly drench areas from western Virginia and West Virginia to northern Maine. This includes Charleston, West Virginia; Pittsburgh; and Buffalo, New York. At the tail end of the storm, during Thursday into Thursday night, enough cold air will filter back in to allow snow showers in these areas.
Up to a few inches of snow may fall from parts of the Appalachians to the lower Great Lakes prior to the end of the week.