Winter Storm Watches, Warnings in Virginia, Cape Cod; Snowy Friday Morning Commute in Northeast

March 3,2016
Most of the East Coast will dodge a bullet from an intensifying offshore low Friday, but snow will still lead to some issues with the Friday commute from parts of North Carolina to New Jersey.
The National Weather Service has issued winter storm warnings for a part of southern Virginia, with winter storm watches stretching to the Potomac River south of the Washington D.C. metro area, as well as for far southeast New England.
Winter weather advisories, for lighter forecast snow accumulations, stretch from the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina to southern New Jersey.

Winter Weather Alerts

This system is currently producing areas of light snow in parts of the Midwest, including the southern Great Lakes and Ohio Valley.

Latest Radar

This fast-moving system will then give way to strengthening low pressure off the Eastern Seaboard Friday.
It now appears this low will intensify close enough to the Virginia Tidewater and Outer Banks of North Carolina early Friday to bring at least moderate snow to parts of Virginia in time for the Friday morning commute, and light accumulations up the I-95 corridor to New Jersey.
(MORE: Is Light Snow More Dangerous For Motorists Than Major Snowstorms?)
However, the track of the low now appears increasingly likely to remain far enough offshore for any significant snow in the rest of the Northeast, with the possible exception of Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.

Wintry Setup Through Late Friday

Here is our latest timing and snowfall total forecasts.

Snow Forecast Timing

Thursday:

• Light to locally moderate snow from the southern Great Lakes into the Appalachians.
• Though snow will mostly be light, hazardous travel conditions are still possible.
• Cities: Chicago | South Bend, Indiana | Columbus, Ohio

Thursday's Forecast

Thursday Night-Friday:

• Snow or a rain and snow mix spreads from the Ohio Valley and Appalachians to the mid-Atlantic states and portions of the Northeast. 
• The snow may impact the Friday morning commute for many cities near and along the Interstate 95 corridor in the mid-Atlantic possibly as far north as the New York City Tri-State area.
• Snow may linger in parts of coastal southeast New England into Friday night, including parts of Long Island, Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket.
• Cities: Washington, D.C. | Baltimore | Philadelphia | New York City

Thursday Night's Forecast

Friday's Forecast

How Much Snow?

• Midwest/Ohio Valley: Accumulations of 3 inches or less in most areas affected.
• Appalachians: Generally light to locally moderate totals up to 5 inches from North Carolina to southwest Pennsylvania.
• D.C. to NYC corridor: Mainly on the order of an inch or so. 
• Southern/eastern Virginia: Local accumulations over 5 inches are possible through Friday morning, including near the Richmond metro area.
• Southeast New England: Still a potential for heavier snow of up to 6 inches, depending on the exact track of the offshore low, for Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. Also, strong winds late Friday into early Saturday could lead to downed tree limbs and power outages.

Snowfall Forecast

PHOTOS: Winter Storm Quo