Snowstorm to snarl travel from DC to New York City and Boston Thursday

By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist

February 7,2017, 8:43:48PM,EST

 

 A quick change to colder weather will be accompanied by accumulating snow from the central Appalachians to New England spanning Wednesday night into Thursday.

Just hours after record-challenging warmth occurs, temperatures will plunge 15 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit from the Midwest to the interior South and northeastern United States during Wednesday night and into Thursday morning.
The storm will begin with a brief period of rain in most areas, but will quickly change over to snow as temperatures plummet. Initially the snow will melt on paved surfaces. However, that can change in a matter of minutes as the rate of snow picks up.
Despite the warmth into midweek, there is the potential for snow to fall at a fast enough pace to lead to slippery roads and airline delays as the storm progresses.

"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 at greatest risk for a period of accumulating snow include Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New York City and Boston.
The storm could affect heavily-traveled stretches of Interstate 68, I-70, I-76, I-78, I-80, I-81, I-83, I-84 and I-95.
As the cold air moves in, the storm will trek from the southern Plains to the mid-Atlantic coast.
"It looks like the cold air will come in fast enough and the storm will strengthen enough to produce a swath of heavy, wet and accumulating snow from the mountains of northern Virginia and West Virginia to central and southeastern New England," according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Mike Doll.
In this case, major travel delays and disruptions to daily activities could result from accumulations ranging from a slushy coating to as much as 12 inches. The snow could fall at the rate of 1 to 2 inches per hour.

The first snow from the storm will fall on parts of Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana during Wednesday afternoon, where a small accumulation can occur, followed by a freeze-up at night.
In parts of the central Appalachians and the mid-Atlantic region, the snow will begin to fall late Wednesday night.
Farther northeast, the snow will begin to fall as motorists begin their commute early on Thursday.
By early Thursday morning, temperatures will be within a few degrees of freezing in a large swath of the mid-Atlantic states. This will allow snow to begin to accumulate on the roadways.
The exact track of the storm and a difference in temperature by as little as a couple of degrees Fahrenheit will determine where the swath of heaviest snow occurs.
"The swath of accumulating snow is likely to be orientated in a narrow southwest to northeast band with the challenge being exactly where that band sets up," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brian Wimer.
Snowfall ranging from 3 to 6 inches is likely to extend from near the borders of West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia to eastern Massachusetts and the Maine coast. An area of 6 to 12 inches is possible from northern New Jersey and the lower Hudson Valley of New York state to portions of Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
A slight change in the storm track could shift the area of snow and the heaviest accumulation farther to the northwest or to the southeast.
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As the storm strengthens, strong winds will accompany the snow in New England.
"Blizzard conditions can develop for a time in parts of eastern Massachusetts during Thursday afternoon and evening, before the storm moves away," according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Brett Rossio.
The greatest risk of power outages will be when winds pick up during the tail end of the storm and in its wake.
While a small slushy accumulation can occur in the cities of Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, enough snow to shovel and plow may not be too far to the north and west.
A quick freeze-up of wet and slushy areas is likely from the Appalachians to northern New England during Thursday evening.
In the wake of the storm, most of the Eastern states will be dry with seasonable temperatures to close out the week.