WeatherFanatics: Quick-Hitting Snow to Reach More Than 80 Million From Chicago to NYC

Monday, January 5, 2015

Quick-Hitting Snow to Reach More Than 80 Million From Chicago to NYC

By Jordan Root, Meteorologist

January 5,2015; 8:47PM,EST

fast-moving clipper system sweeping across the northern Plains to the Northeast through Tuesday will leave behind a swath of snow and travel delays.

A quick burst of snow will target a dozen or more major cities as the storm moves swiftly eastward.
Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Omaha, Nebraska; Minneapolis; Des Moines, Iowa; Louisville, Kentucky; Milwaukee; Chicago; Indianapolis; Detroit; Cincinnati; Cleveland and Pittsburgh will be under the threat for snow spanning Monday night into Tuesday.

People in this swath can expect a quick burst of snow with this system that will lower visibility to dangerous levels. Road conditions will likely go from clear to snow covered in a short amount of time.
According to AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski, "The snow will be accompanied by a rapid drop in temperature in some cases, which may cause roads to quickly transition from wet and slushy to icy and snow-covered."
Interstates 29, 35, 80 and 90 are just some of the roadways that could face slow travel and poor road conditions. Motorists are urged to slow down or even pull off for a time if faced with white-out conditions. Delays at some of the major hubs can be expected as well.
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The fast-moving nature of the system will be one factor in reducing snowfall amounts, keeping most locations in the 1- to 3-inch range. However, the influence of cold air and a band of heavier snow will bring more to some places.
"Some locations in a narrow band along and to the north of the track of the clipper could receive as much as 6 inches of fluffy snow," said Meteorologist Brian Edwards.
A few locations may even come out higher than 6 inches, although it will be very localized.
"The heaviest snow looks to fall from Mason City, Iowa, on Monday to Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland and Ft. Wayne, Indiana, Monday night," continued Edwards.
The morning commute on Tuesday will likely be a snowy one for the Northeast as this system continues to bolt eastward, impacting Pittsburgh, Scranton and Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Interstate 95 will be at risk for delays from Boston to the northern suburbs of Philadelphia during Tuesday.
"New York City, Hartford [Connecticut] and Boston could also pick up enough snow to cause travel problems," said Edwards.

A general coating to an inch or two of snow will fall across New York state, southern New England, northern New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania. However, higher amounts, between 3 and 6 inches will fall across northwestern Pennsylvania to the Laurel Highlands.
Enough snow could fall to coat the ground as far south as Washington, D.C., to Dover, Delaware, and Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Frigid temperatures will already be in place when the storm sweeps through, but a shot of reinforcing cold will follow.
High temperatures will be in the teens and single digits Tuesday across the Plains and Midwest, but another shot of brutally cold air will keep highs from reaching above zero for many on Wednesday.

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