More Snow, But Not Another Stella, For the Northeast and Midwest

Linda Lam
Published: March 17,2017
Yes, there's more snow forecast for the Northeast and Midwest into the weekend, but it's not going to be a "Stella Déjà vu".
(MORE: Winter Storm Central)
Winter Storm Stella brought heavy snow and winds to parts of the Midwest and Northeast earlier this week, but this latest weather system bears little resemblance to that blockbuster.
(MORE: Winter Storm Stella Recap)
This latest system is currently wringing out a strip of light snow and rain in parts of the Great Lakes. Parts of the city of Duluth, Minnesota, reported 2 to 3 inches of wet snow early Friday morning.

Current Radar, Temperatures, Conditions

The good news is that this storm will be a fast-moving, moisture-starved system.
However, low pressure is expected to strengthen off the East Coast, but it may do so just far enough offshore to minimize the threat of heavy snow.
Before that happens, a band of snow will swing through the Northeast, and wind may still be quite brisk along the immediate coast.

Overall Weekend Setup

Forecast Timing

Friday Evening

• A strip of wet snow will fall from Upper Michigan southeastward into southern New York and northern Pennsylvania.
• A mix of rain or snow is possible from parts of Wisconsin to Ohio and southern Pennsylvania.
• Snow will spread into parts of the interior Northeast Friday night.
• FORECAST: Detroit | Pittsburgh 

Friday Evening's Forecast

Saturday

• Snow will be most concentrated in parts of western and central New York into northern Pennsylvania and northern New Jersey, including parts of the New York City tri-state area.
• Precipitation will either be light rain or wet snow farther south in the Mid-Atlantic States.
• Light to moderate snow will persist from the Lower Hudson Valley and New York City metro area and spread east into southern New England. Some wet snow is also possible farther south in the Delaware Valley, possibly as far south as the Philadelphia metro area.
• FORECAST: New York City | Binghamton, New York | Hartford | Philadelphia

Saturday's Forecast

Sunday

• Snow may linger in southeast New England and in portions of the coastal Mid-Atlantic states. 
• Some rain may mix in a few spots near the coast.
• Strong winds are possible near the coast, especially in southeast New England, including Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Island, as well as parts of Long Island. These winds will likely persist into Sunday night in southeast New England.
• These winds, gusting over 40 mph, may lead to some downed tree limbs and sporadic power outages.
• Some coastal flooding is likely in southeast New England, mainly along north or northeast-facing shorelines.
• FORECAST: Boston | Cape Cod

Sunday's Forecast

How Much Snow?

Midwest
In general, additional snow accumulations from 1 to 3 inches are expected in eastern Michigan through Saturday.

Midwest Additional Snowfall Forecast

Northeast
In the Northeast, most accumulations are expected to be less than 6 inches through late Sunday.
However, there is a risk for some accumulations approaching 6 inches from the Poconos of Pennsylvania to Cape Cod, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard.
If the offshore low tracks a bit closer to the coast, this risk of 6 inches or slightly more snow in those areas rises. There still remains some uncertainty, as is typical in these scenarios.

Northeast Snowfall Forecast

Check back with us at weather.com for the latest on this weekend system.

MORE: Winter Storm Stella, March 2017 (PHOTOS)

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.