Winter Storm Linus: Heavy Snow, Freezing Rain Target New York, Boston, Much of Northeast

Nick Wiltgen
Published: February 1,2015



 
Winter Storm Linus will bring a swath of heavy snow across much of the Northeast Monday, disrupting the start of the workweek for millions of people. The storm may also lay down a narrow zone of significant freezing rain across a heavily populated area near New York City.
Snow is already advancing eastward; light snow officially began at Central Park in New York City at 8:47 p.m. EST Sunday. The snow will continue to spread east through the wee hours of Monday morning.
The morning commute Monday (if there is one) will be extremely treacherous across southern New England as snow turns heavy, with snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour making roads nearly impossible to keep clear.
In the New York City area, warming temperatures will bring a changeover from snow to rain to some areas. An area of freezing rain is likely to develop between the rain and snow zones, causing extremely slick conditions.
By early afternoon, coastal southern New England may change over to a cold rain, with freezing rain just inland causing ice accumulations. Freezing rain will continue in the Lower Hudson Valley of New York, especially in Westchester County; accumulations could begin to weigh down tree limbs, leading to power outages.
Snow will continue to the north while most of New York City and Long Island go over to plain rain.
By early evening, rain will change back to snow in New York City, but it will be fairly light and will quickly start to pull away. However, temperatures will begin to plummet. This means areas damp from earlier rainfall will begin to freeze over. Temperatures will crash even further Monday night, leading to a "flash freeze" and the potential for widespread icy conditions by Tuesday's morning commute.
Snow will continue in New England, but the heaviest snow will shift into northern New England by the evening hours.
Here's a table showing the evolution of precipitation, winds and temperatures for selected cities over the next 16 hours.
In New England, the heaviest snowfall totals are expected to be just west and north of Boston. In areas where precipitation remains all snow, totals could exceed 18 inches. Amounts will taper off significantly farther south due to a period of sleet, freezing rain and even plain rain Monday afternoon, reducing the amount of precipitation that accumulates as snow.
Around the New York City area, snowfall amounts will be much higher to the north of the city. To the south, parts of central New Jersey may not see much snow at all. Much of the snow in New York City is expected to fall before sunrise Monday, though some light accumulations may occur in the late afternoon and early evening as rain switches back to snow again.
Stay with The Weather Channel and weather.com as we continue to follow Winter Storm Linus.
MORE: Winter Storm Linus Photos