Cold air to bring threat for snow, rapid freeze across Northeast

By Faith Eherts , AccuWeather meteorologist

December 18,2016, 12:48:28PM,EST

 

 Another batch of rain and snow will blow through the northeastern U.S. through Sunday evening.

An expansive area of rain will move through the mid-Atlantic from the west. Mixed precipitation and snow will trail behind this line of eastward-moving rain.
"After the recent cold wave, temperatures should rise into the 50s and 60s on Sunday in parts of the Northeast," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Carl Babinski said.
Mild air ahead of this system is to blame for the all-liquid precipitation along the coast and throughout much of the interior Northeast Sunday.
The wind will shift north behind the rain, causing a changeover to snow on the back end of this storm late in the day.

"Pockets of heavy rain are likely Sunday along the I-95 corridor before a front ushers much colder air back into the region late in the day and at night," Babinski said.
Temperatures are expected to remain above freezing along the Interstate-95 corridor long enough to prevent wintry precipitation from reaching Boston, New York City, Philadelphia or the Washington, D.C. area.

In Syracuse, New York, temperatures are expected to drop by almost 20 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the day on Sunday.
"For example, early Sunday afternoon, Washington, D.C. should be near 60 degrees with some rain close by — while Pittsburgh is probably in the upper 20s and snowing," Babinski said.
Areas along and west of the Appalachians will experience a windy and dramatic cooldown on Sunday afternoon. Rapid freezing of recent rainfall and melted snow may cause dangerous travel conditions as roads and sidewalks quickly become icy.
At O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, 168 flights have been canceled as of 5:00 a.m. CST, according to their website. Around 1:10 a.m. CST, a plane slid off the runway, but luckily no injuries were reported.
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Gusty winds out of the north and northwest behind the rain will increase snowfall in areas typically impacted by lake-effect snow.
Western Michigan in particular is poised to receive several inches of lake-effect snow on Sunday. Locally higher amounts are likely in heavier snow bands.