Blizzard conditions slam New England while dangerous freeze-up occurs in mid-Atlantic

By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist

February 9,2017, 7:10:35PM,EST

 

 The blizzard is coming to an end and the storm is moving away from the United States. For a recap of the storm, click here.

---

A storm producing blizzard conditions will continue in southeastern New England as temperatures plummet in the northeastern US into Thursday evening.
The cold and snow is following the heels of record warmth that occurred in part of the Northeast on Wednesday.
The storm began as a brief period of rain in some areas. However, as temperatures plummeted, a change to heavy wet snow first occurred over the central Appalachians during Wednesday night and progressed toward the mid-Atlantic coast around dawn Thursday.
Despite the recent warmth, roads have quickly become snowcovered.
The snow will fall at the rate of 2 to 4 inches per hour in southeastern New England and eastern Long Island into Thursday evening. Thunder and lightning is accompanying the snow in some locations.

"The wet, clinging nature of the snow will weigh down tree limbs and could lead to sporadic power outages," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Henry Margusity.
Major cities that will bear the brunt of the storm into Thursday evening include Boston, Hartford, Connecticut, and Providence, Rhode Island.
RELATED:
Frigid air pours into eastern US with late-week snowstorm
2017 US spring forecast: Winter won't quit in Northeast; Severe weather to explode across Plains
Winter storm potential to increase during mid-February in eastern US
It may take until later Friday before travel conditions significantly improve in parts of eastern New York state and New England. This will be due to the extensive blowing and drifting of the snow and trees blocking some roads.

Thousands of flights were cancelled due to the storm on Thursday.
An area of 6 to 12 inches of snow is likely from northern eastern New York state to central and southeastern New England. Within this 6- to 12-inch swath, locally higher amounts can occur.
SEE ALSO:
Northeast interactive radar
AccuWeather MinuteCast for your location
Experts debunk 4 winter driving myths
Strong winds will continue to accompany the very heavy snow on eastern Long Island and southeastern New England through the storm's duration.
Similar to the Midwest during Wednesday night, a freeze-up has begun in the Appalachians and New England, and will progress southward along the Interstate 95 corridor of the mid-Atlantic and on Cape Cod during Thursday evening. Untreated wet and slushy areas will freeze.
In the wake of the storm, most of the Eastern states will be dry with seasonably cold conditions to close out the week. However, the overall weather pattern will remain unsettled if not stormy through next week.