Snow may coat roads from Chicago to New York City this weekend

By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist

February 1,2017, 4:24:03PM,EST

 

 A storm will produce a swath of wintry precipitation and slippery travel over parts of the midwestern and northeastern United States this weekend.

Fast steering winds will prevent the storm from bringing a heavy amount of snow, ice and rain. However, enough precipitation can occur to coat roads and sidewalks, including those in areas that have received little wintry precipitation thus far this winter.
Arctic air will settle eastward ahead of the storm. The cold air will allow roads and other exposed surfaces to be cold at the onset of the storm. As a result, at least some of the wintry precipitation will adhere to these surfaces from the Ohio Valley to part of the mid-Atlantic region on north.

"While a major storm with heavy snow and ice is highly unlikely, even a small amount of snow and ice can create dangerous conditions on area highways and cause delays at airports," according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Steve Travis.
Minor airline delays are possible at the major hubs due to deicing.
The wintry precipitation will take shape over parts of the central and northern Plains to middle and upper Mississippi Valley on Saturday.
During Saturday night and into Sunday, the system will progress eastward across the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes during Saturday night into Sunday.
During Sunday and into Sunday night, wintry precipitation will push from the central and northern Appalachians to the mid-Atlantic and New England coasts.
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Areas from Kansas City, Missouri, to near St. Louis, Cincinnati, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia are likely to receive a couple of periods of light snow, ice and rain.
"A small, slushy accumulation of snow is possible over parts of the Ohio Valley and a large part of the mid-Atlantic Interstate 95 corridor," Travis said.
A slippery, icy mix can extend as far south as the I-81 corridor in Tennessee, the I-77 corridor in Virginia and U.S. Route 13 in eastern Maryland.
Areas from much of Iowa to central Ohio, western Maryland and northern New Jersey on north are likely to receive all or mostly snow from the storm. The accumulation in this swath northward to the Canada border will generally range from a coating to an inch or two.
Light and sporadic snowfall will hit the cities of Minneapolis, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, New York City and Boston.
In the wake of the storm, a brief push of cold air will follow, ahead of warmer conditions and the potential for a major storm next week.