Snowstorm Barrage to Persist in Eastern New England

By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist

February 10,2015; 8:59PM,EST

 

A storm riding along a blast of arctic air will spread a swath of snow from the Great Lakes by midweek to the Northeast before the end of the week.
Yet another Alberta Clipper will drop in from Canada this week. As is often the case with these moisture-starved storms, the snow will tend to be light and more of a nuisance for most areas.
However, the storm will bring another round of slippery roads, travel delays and possible disruptions to daily activities from Detroit to New York City and Boston.

Boston's Snow Barrage

Snowfall Amounts (in Inches)

While the storm will strengthen as it reaches the Atlantic Ocean, it will not do so quickly enough to bring a major snowstorm to the majority of New England.
The storm will affect portions of the upper Midwest with snow and a bit of ice through Tuesday night. A zone from northern Minnesota into northern Wisconsin and the upper Peninsula of Michigan could see 3-6 inches of snow by Wednesday morning.

Other locations will see a coating to two inches including the cities of Fargo, North Dakota; Minneapolis and Madison, Wisconsin.
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On Wednesday, some snow will fall on Detroit and could bring minor airline delays and just enough to make roads slippery.
Intermittent snow will reach the areas from Cleveland and Buffalo, New York, to Pittsburgh from late Wednesday into Thursday morning.
During the day Thursday, spotty snow is likely to impact Philadelphia; New York City; Albany, New York; and Hartford, Connecticut.

A couple of showers of mixed rain and snow can occur as far south as Washington, D.C., and Dover, Delaware, with the greatest chance for slippery travel during Thursday night as arctic air begins to sweep in.
It is from late Thursday into Friday morning when the storm will begin to produce steadier snow from eastern Long Island to southeastern Massachusetts and perhaps coastal Maine.

Workers and school districts from Islip, New York, to Providence, Rhode Island, and Boston will want want to monitor this close call, and next potential snowfall and snow day.
The storm could add more insult to injury for property owners, cities and townships in New England struggling with how to pay for snow removal, let alone where to put it.
At least for this particular storm the snow will tend to be more of a nuisance, rather than another major blow to commerce.
Since the storm is not likely to strengthen rapidly, southeastern New England will be spared from a major snowstorm. However, heavy snow is likely to hit areas from Nova Scotia to southern Newfoundland.
Still, the exact track and speed of strengthening of the storm will determine how far north and west the accumulating snow expands across New England to before the system heads rolls out toward Atlantic Canada. AccuWeather.com will continue to provide updates on this storm and others.
As the Alberta Clipper sweeps by, Arctic will follow from the Upper Midwest to the Northeast.
Areas made wet and slushy from the storm and moderate temperatures during the middle of the week can become icy and freeze solid. Temperatures may get so low that inexpensive ice-melting compounds, such as rock salt, will be ineffective.
The parade of Alberta Clipper storms will not stop during the school week.

The next Alberta Clipper storm is forecast to dive into the Northeast states with the chance of another round of snow.
The storm this weekend is likely to strengthen quickly upon nearing the Atlantic Ocean.
This stronger of the two clipper storms will be followed by frigid air and strong gusty winds, which will make it feel like the harshest weather of the winter in much of the Midwest and the East.