Snow, Wind to Lash Coastal New England Through Saturday

By Brian Lada, Meteorologist

January 30,2015; 10:27PM,EST

 

 

Those in part of northern New England may be reminded of the Blizzard of 2015 early this weekend as a strengthening storm system impacts the region.
Eastern Maine will take the brunt of the storm Friday night into Saturday, but that does not mean that the rest of the Northeast will escape the snow.
As the system strengthens off the coast of New England, snow showers will occur from southern and western New England to New York City, Washington, D.C. and Pittsburgh into Friday night.
This should not cause much in terms of travels disruptions, but people taking to the roads may want to allow for a few extra minutes before heading out in order to brush the fresh coating of snow off their vehicles.

Boston will be on the edge of accumulating snow to the north and snow showers to the southwest.
Conditions will deteriorate quickly across northeastern New England Friday night and carry into Saturday as winds pick up and snow intensifies.
While this is not expected to evolve into a blizzard, it will still cause major disruptions to travel.
With snow rates up to 2 inches an hour possible in portions of Maine, roads can quickly become snow-covered and dangerous for travel.
If you must drive during the storm, you should take supplies with you, such as food, water and blankets, in the event that you become stuck on the road.

With upwards of a foot of snow expected in some areas, this could turn into a dangerous situation for some, particularly across eastern Maine.
According to AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski, "By the time the storm is done, some locations in Maine may have more than 40 inches of snow on the ground combining the Blizzard of 2015 with the storm into Saturday."
Snow through this weekend that piles up on top of the snow that fell from the Blizzard of 2015 can put a significant amount of stress on roofs.
If enough snow accumulates roof, it can lead to the collapse.
To avoid this, people across the area who still have large drifts of snow on their roofs should consider removing some of the snow to relieve the building of the immense weight. The greatest risk is to flat roofs.

Strong winds from the storm can still cause snow to blow around, adding to the drifts created by this past week's blizzard.
These winds can also lead to localized power outages from Connecticut to Maine and even into portions of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
Conditions will gradually improve throughout Saturday afternoon as the system departs, leading to a dry but frigid day across New England on Sunday.
This dry weather will not last for long as another storm system is set to move into the region by the start of the upcoming week.
RELATED:
Pre-Groundhog Day Snowstorm to Sweep From Chicago to New York City
Interactive Radar
AccuWeather MinuteCast® for Your Location
Accuweather.com Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski warns that "all or mostly snow is favored at this time just north of the storm track from moving eastward from Columbus, Ohio to Pittsburgh; Washington, D.C.; Philadelphia and New York City."
"In at least part of this swath, enough snow to shovel and plow is likely," he said.
This snow could reach into New England on Monday, depending on the exact path that the storm takes.
Continue to check back with AccuWeather.com as more information about this storm becomes known and a more precise storm track can be determined.