AccuWeather.com

By Alex Sosnowski, Expert Senior Meteorologist

Oct 26, 2011; 11:25 AM ET

Share |

One if by sea, two if by land...Something like that anyway!

While a storm coming Thursday will deliver rain and mountain snow to part of the Northeast, a second storm may come calling Friday night into Saturday.

AccuWeather.com meteorologists are watching not just one, but rather two storms for the Northeast's weather before Halloween.

The possibility of a second storm swinging through the region is being entertained 24 to 48 hours after the first.

The problem is a storm heading for Colorado storm appears to be splitting into two parts. One part is coming eastward rather quickly, while the second is likely to hang back over the South Central states for an extra day or so.

According to Expert Senior Paul Pastelok, "It is not so much the splitting of the Colorado storm that is so peculiar, but rather how that matches up with the upper levels of the atmosphere."

The odds of two back-to-back snowfalls 48 hours apart are rare any time of the year, let alone during late October.

However, a warm Atlantic Ocean may twist the track of the second storm farther north and west, instead of letting it escape out to sea. This more northwest track could throw another dose of snow over the interior Northeast.

The future movement of Hurricane Rina may lend a clue.

According to Expert Senior Meteorologist Henry Margusity, "If Rina were to track into Florida, rather than re-curve out to the east, it could set the stage for a more northward-tracking storm and flow of moisture along the Atlantic Seaboard."

In the meantime, the first storm will bring rain to the Northeast over the I-95 corridor and most places across the interior during Thursday and Thursday night. Rain will become mixed with and change to snow over the higher elevations and some interior locations as colder air invades the storm.

The second storm will either track out to sea or will curve back to the coast. A track near the coast could potentially bring a more substantial to not only the higher elevations of the interior, but also even lower elevations.

According to AccuWeather.com Chief Meteorologist Elliot Abrams, "Even with this second storm, given the close to the coast scenario, the I-95 cities from Washington to Philadelphia, New York City and Boston would still be near the rain/snow line."

Abrams pointed out there is still great uncertainty with the track of the second storm, and there are many in-between scenarios that could occur.

It may not be until the first storm is already well under way or departing before we have a handle on this potentially bizarre situation.