By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist
January 21,2016; 10:39PM,EST
A blizzard will threaten to bring travel to a standstill from Washington, D.C., to New York City as well as across the southern Appalachians by the weekend. Snow and wind will brush southern New England.
Winds and the rate of snowfall will increase as the storm strengthens. Thunder and lightning could accompany the heavy snow in some locations. An all-out blizzard will unfold from northern Virginia to southwestern Connecticut. White-out conditions will occur farther west from south-central Pennsylvania to part of western North Carolina.
Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe declared a state of emergency at 8 a.m. EST on Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016, to help channel state assistance to local communities fighting the storm. Other states were following suit in advance of the storm.
The storm is likely to shut down some highways and could cause some airports to close. Ahead of the storm, Delta Air Lines announced travel waivers for flights through Jan. 24 at 19 different airports in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic region.
Snowstorm likely to shut down travel in close to a dozen states
According to AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Elliot Abrams, "This will be a rare event for the region as there are not many storms that bring a foot or more of snow over such a large area."
The swath that could receive a foot of snow from the storm is likely to extend along a 1,000-mile path from the Mississippi River to southern New England.
The storm began to produce snow and ice over the middle Mississippi Valley on Thursday and will expand to parts of the South and the Ohio Valley into Friday morning. Snow will spread slowly northeastward through the mid-Atlantic and southern New England during Friday afternoon into Saturday, before exiting southeastern New England on Sunday.
"The greatest disruptions will be where the storm begins through Friday," Abrams said. "People could get stuck on the roads during the weekday commutes, where schools are not canceled and businesses are not closed, from the central and southern states to the mid-Atlantic."
The New York City metro area will receive enough snow to shovel and plow with blizzard conditions at times. Part of the region can receive a foot of snow from the storm.
The rate of snow and travel conditions will trend progressively worse farther to the southwest. From southwestern New Jersey to western Virginia, snowfall rates will be 1-3 inches per hour at times.
Areas from Philadelphia to Baltimore and Washington, D.C., can expect an all-out blizzard with snowfall averaging 12-18 inches. There is the potential for greater amounts of snow, depending upon the track and speed of the storm.
From southwestern Virginia and the West Virginia mountains to northern Maryland and parts of south-central and southeastern Pennsylvania, a general 1-2 feet of snow will fall with accumulations in localized areas between 2 and 3 feet. Increasing winds will cause blizzard conditions with extensive blowing and drifting of snow.
"Crews may not be able to keep up with the storm in parts of Virginia, West Virginia, southern Pennsylvania and northern Delaware and Maryland," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Henry Margusity said. "Some communities could be isolated for a few days."
Travel could be stopped along portions of interstates 64, 66, 68, 77, 70, 81, 83 and 95 at the height of the storm.
RELATED:
Northeast US interactive weather radar
LIVE: Travel delays increase as blizzard looms
AccuWeather winter weather center
The heavy snow with the storm is likely to have a fairly sharp northern edge due to dry air. At this time, the northern edge is most likely to extend from southern Ohio to southern New England. A distance of less than 50 miles could bring snowfall ranging from an inch or less to more than a foot.
Heavy snow is still likely right along the southern coast of New England with enough snow to shovel and plow from Hartford, Connecticut, to Plymouth, Massachusetts. Up to a few inches of snow may fall in the Boston area with the greatest amounts south of the city.
Wintry mix, ice to add to travel dangers
According to AccuWeather Meteorologist Ed Vallee, "Above-average water temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean will factor into the storm near the coast to perhaps as far west at I-95 in the mid-Atlantic."
The milder air coming in from the ocean will cause more mixing along coastal areas.
For this reason and the potential for dry air to be drawn into part of the storm, accumulations will likely be held to under a foot in most areas from central North Carolina and southeastern Virginia to central Delaware, southern and coastal New Jersey, Long Island and Cape Cod.
For areas receiving a mixture of snow, ice and rain, this will still be a formidable winter storm. Power outages are likely. Travel will be difficult, if not dangerous, as roads become slippery or where poor-drainage area flooding occurs.
Coastal flooding and power outages are likley
Winds will become a factor in the storm. Winds will not only push the snow around and lead to whiteout conditions in some areas. Atlantic Ocean water will be pushed toward the coast.
Along the mid-Atlantic and New England coast, a period of rough seas, coastal flooding and beach erosion is in store. The worst conditions will be in New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia, where tides may run 2-3 feet above normal in some locations. The conditions include the western shoreline of the Chesapeake Bay.
The approaching full moon will cause high astronomical tides around the days where the storm will be near the coast, elevating the coastal flooding risk.
Winds can be strong enough over the mid-Atlantic and in southern New England to bring down tree limbs and cause sporadic power outages.
The greatest risk of more widespread power outages will be near the mid-Atlantic coast, where winds will be the strongest and snow the wettest. Gusts along the mid-Atlantic coast will frequent 40-50 mph.
Paul Berger ·
Al
Roker now calling for 5-8". NOAA, 6-10". I really don't think the Big
Apple will be immobilized even with the wind. Let us see how this plays
out.
King Cobra
Sorry
but you heard or saw that wrong.what roker really said was 5-8 feet of
snow,that was followed up by NOAA who says their model shows 6-10
feet.This is going to be some kind of storm pardner,you better buy a cow
tonight just to be sure you have enough milk,tmrw will be too late
those cows will be under 6 feet of snow.
Bruce Steifman
King Cobra what's with this milk business? haven't had milk since i was an infant.........
Louis Saccone ·
the
BLIZZARDof 78 form from a cold front that stall of the carolinas and
it move north toward cape cod and stall for awhile in the mean time the
high which brought the cold air down to the coast was over in the canada
area thisstorm is coming from the west and suppose to reform off the
carolinas the weather of the past ok good luck
Yulogo Gaming ·
I
am not scared. I am taking a vacation day off tommorow from work to
prepare, and I guess I will stay locked up all weekend. I live in
Northern New Jersey.
Jack Cusatis ·
only problem with that is the storm is not going to hit until late Friday. you will have a lost day for nothing.
Louis Saccone ·
what
direction is the storm heading eastnorth east or up the coast line
about 100miles east of new jeresy then southern new england will get
hit hard they still dont know yet .
Cyndi Fritter Hawthorne ·
Take
the chairs off the deck, get ready to shovel a "snowload" overboard...
but fight the temptation to jump into the new 8 foot drift! If it turns
wet and heavy on Saturday, be careful shoveling on Sunday; a sore back
could be the least of your worries. Be safe and enjoy the snow! I love
it!!
Michael Croune ·
Bernie, Bernie, Bernie smile emoticon
Joey Orton ·
This is the north east not Flordia. When did we become such wimps about snow that 3-6" scares everyone?
John Ray
Jerry
Waller Maximum could be 18." If 18 inches of snow falls in Washington,
D.C., then it would eclipse the "Blizzard of 1996" and the
"Snowmageddon Storm" of Feb. 5-6, 2010. Source: accuweather.com 1/20/2016.
Nevis Thiagaraj ·
God will protect us.
Tom Jorgensen
God is too busy right now, watching children in Africa starve to death.
Richard Schmoyer ·
Tom
Jorgensen .and hopefully God is helping allay the effects of lead
poisoning for hordes of American children who are unlucky enough to
reside in Flint Michigan, a former manufacturing center whose hollowed
out economy has left behind thousdands of poor individauls and
families.The city lost its safe water supply because some politicians
wanted ot save a couple of hundred thousand dollars by switching from
Lake Huron water to polutted river water.God can't do much about the
corrective costs that loom in the hundreds of millions of dollars, but
perhaps he can help make sure that the children who drank the dirty
,leaded water will come out of this OK..
King Cobra
I
dont get it.What makes adults act like overly excited 6 year olds at
every approaching storm.you must realize by now that these end of life
as we know it snow storms are 90% weather hype and nothing they say will
ever actually materialize.Already the 24 plus inch total snow areas
have shrunk to half that size in the last 24 hours.Now the big drama to
keep you locked on is What is going to happen in new york,CT,and
Boston.Will there be a couple of inches or will we all perish in a white
wall of death.
Howard Goldberg
Nah...you
do not understand the passion of a meteorologist or any scientist for
that matter. Of course, we meteorologists act like 6 year olds (you are
giving us too much credit...LOL) when a stoem is coming. It is one of
the great passions of our lives and I am sure even Einstein was giddy
when he finally formulated general relativity. Best wishes and be safe.
Dara Gray ·
Works at Montgomery County Public Schools
Because, it's fun to have the excitement of a child. Snow brings such a calm and finds kindness in people.
Suzanne Liuzzo ·
Dear GOD Praying for YOU to HELP & PROTECT YOUR PEOPLE Amen smile emoticon In JESUS PRECIOUS NAME I ASK & PRAY ~Amen~
Joy Fondevilla Wolfe ·
Im
so excited that my husband is coming home tomorrow from Benin, here in
San Diego Airport, then he call me that his flight was canceled
because of the weather here in US. he ask me if its true. He want to go
home so bad to see me and his kids. Now he has to wait for another at
least 3 days and to re scheduled his flight again.
Eric Martin ·
I feel sorry for Alex Sosnowski having to read some of these posts...
Yulogo Gaming ·
live
in Randolph, New Jersey. I am so excited for the blizzard, but it is
hard work. Tommorow I need to take a whole day off at work, clear out my
garage and put my car in there (I drive a BMW 328i and the last thing I
want to do is get it snowed in and have the engine ruined like previous
snowstorms), go food shopping, etc. Then Saturday, I am locked in my
house all day.
King Cobra
so
we can all assume then that being locked down in your house with a few
gallons of milk is going to be ever so much fun for you.ok thanks for
sharing.I have a BMW Z4 Roadster and the last thing I want to do is use
it in the winter.
Andrew Zack Junior ·
Will
we be geathing more Winter snowstorms like Jonas During the last 2
months to come ? We will see most past Winter's we seen more Blizzards
during the end of each winter's (Feb-March) i wouldn't be surprised if
we had Another (Cold spring) will see ... The farmers Almanac Predicted a
repeat of last year & They are 80 % accurate.... Will wait and see i
honestly dont think that Jonas will be the BIGGEST Storm will be sean
this winter just be prapared people !
Patrice Williams ·
we
have everything including a turkey, and all the comfort foods a human
could want and a slanted roof. flat roof owners remove snow safely.
make a trillion snow angels to keep the snow demons at bay!!!!
Carolyn Buckley Cooper ·
King
Cobra Down boy, down boy. People are just having fun here, even the
silly posts are kind of funny. It can always be worse. Hey I live in the
Boston area and we are very happy that we are apparently dodging a
bullet with this storm. But if we weren't I'd have to agree with
Patrice. smile emoticon
WORKS at Hall Estill
Frankie say, be prepared
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