First winter storm of season to bring ice, snow to northeastern US in final days of 2015

By Kristina Pydynowski, Senior Meteorologist

December 28,2015; 11:07PM,EST

 

 

A quick shot of cold air will lead to the first widespread ice and snow event of the season to the northeastern U.S. late Monday to Tuesday.
The storm unleashing severe weather, ice and blizzard conditions across the south-central United States this weekend will reach the Northeast prior to the end of the year.

First winter storm to strike Northeast

Fresh cold air will set the stage for more widespread snow and ice to fall than with recent storms in the Northeast from central Pennsylvania northward to Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
"The worst travel conditions in the Northeast will be Monday night into Tuesday morning," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson said. "Roads that are not treated will become treacherous and people may not be aware of the hazardous situation."

Elsewhere in the mid-Atlantic, the storm will remain a rain event. This includes in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.
It is not out of the question that sleet mixes in around New York City at the rain's onset, but any wintry mix will be brief and not cause road issues in the five boroughs.

Those heading to work on Tuesday morning should allow for extra time. Flight delays and cancellations are also possible.
In the mountains of western Maryland and from central Pennsylvania to far southern New England, the greatest concern for travel hazards is on bridges and overpasses.
Warmth stored up in the ground from the record warmth will keep roads and sidewalks warmer than the air temperature. However, slushy road conditions may still unfold where there is a bit of snow or sleet accumulation.

An extended period of snow and sleet along and north of the I-90 corridor from Syracuse, New York, to Worcester, Massachusetts, will lead to more hazardous conditions for motorists.
"In central and eastern Pennsylvania and northwestern New Jersey along the Interstate 80 and 84 corridors, there will be a period of sleet and freezing rain that will transition to rain," Anderson said.
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"In southern New England, there will be snow or sleet to start late Monday night with more sleet than freezing rain into Tuesday morning," Anderson said. "There will be a transition to rain, but that changeover will be slower to occur in the interior."
Such a changeover will be quick along the coast.
Before the shift to rain, Boston should record its first measurable snowfall of the season.
The same can be said for Worcester, Massachusetts, which already broke the record for the latest date of measurable snow. The previous record was Dec. 24, 1923.

"The snow at the storm's onset could fall at a rate of 1-2 inches per hour," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist John Feerick said.
Where the storm remains all snow, totals will approach or exceed a foot in northern Maine and neighboring parts of Canada. Snow-clogged roads will result.
As quick as the fresh cold and winter storm arrives, milder air will return to close out 2015. However, seasonably colder air should usher back in for the start of the new year.