Lake-effect snow, bitter cold to filter into the Great Lakes at midweek
By
Brandon Buckingham, AccuWeather Meteorologist
Published Dec. 16, 2019 12:02 PM
Crews at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, were working hard to clear the fresh fallen snow from the field ahead of the big game on Dec. 15.
In the wake of an expansive winter storm tracking through the Northeast, Arctic air funneling across the Great Lakes will turn on the lake-effect snow machine and can send blinding snow squalls farther to the southeast at midweek.
AccuWeather meteorologists caution that the visibility could be quickly reduced to near zero courtesy of heavy snow and gusty winds, and it is not uncommon for multiple vehicle pileups to occur on major highways under these squally conditions. In this case, dangerous snow squalls can extend more than 200 miles away from the Great Lakes.
As the cold Canadian air continues to track south and east, additional snow will pile up around lakes Erie and Ontario on Wednesday.
With the Great Lakes nearly ice-free, heavy lake-effect bands will be able to materialize as the cold air presses over the relatively warm water.
Snow squalls are likely to develop along portions of interstates 80, 81, 86 and 90, downwind of lakes Erie and Ontario.
The best chances for snowfall to top half of a foot or more will occur over the typical Northwest snow belts across northern Michigan, as well as portions of extreme northwestern Pennsylvania and western New York.
"There is the potential for a narrow, solid line of snow and snow squalls that advance from the eastern Great Lakes and through the central Appalachians of Pennsylvania, New York State, western Maryland and northern West Virginia during Tuesday midday and afternoon," according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Brett Rossio.
A brief snow shower can extend all the way to Boston, New York City, Philadelphia and the northern and western suburbs of Baltimore and Washington, D.C. during Wednesday afternoon and evening. Warmer road surfaces may prevent a widespread coating of snow in these I-95 areas but some bridges and overpasses might get slippery and the visibility can drop suddenly.
Along with the accumulating snow, midwinterlike cold will encompass the Great Lakes by midweek.
"Very cold air from Canada will build into the area behind the cold front starting Tuesday night. Temperatures will be 10-20 degrees below normal for this time of the year across the Great Lakes region," AccuWeather Meteorologist Clay Chaney said.
Air temperatures in the single digits and teens along with a bone-chilling northwest wind will send AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures below zero at times, especially Wednesday into Thursday.
Aside from below-average temperatures, conditions across the Great Lakes will remain generally dry and settled into the weekend after the lake-effect snow tapers off by Thursday.
Download the free AccuWeather app to check the forecast in your area. Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo
News / Weather Forecasts
Lake-effect snow, bitter cold to filter into the Great Lakes at midweek
By Brandon Buckingham, AccuWeather Meteorologist
Published Dec. 16, 2019 12:02 PM
Crews at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, were working hard to clear the fresh fallen snow from the field ahead of the big game on Dec. 15.
In the wake of an expansive winter storm tracking through the Northeast, Arctic air funneling across the Great Lakes will turn on the lake-effect snow machine and can send blinding snow squalls farther to the southeast at midweek.
AccuWeather meteorologists caution that the visibility could be quickly reduced to near zero courtesy of heavy snow and gusty winds, and it is not uncommon for multiple vehicle pileups to occur on major highways under these squally conditions. In this case, dangerous snow squalls can extend more than 200 miles away from the Great Lakes.
As the cold Canadian air continues to track south and east, additional snow will pile up around lakes Erie and Ontario on Wednesday.
With the Great Lakes nearly ice-free, heavy lake-effect bands will be able to materialize as the cold air presses over the relatively warm water.
Snow squalls are likely to develop along portions of interstates 80, 81, 86 and 90, downwind of lakes Erie and Ontario.
The best chances for snowfall to top half of a foot or more will occur over the typical Northwest snow belts across northern Michigan, as well as portions of extreme northwestern Pennsylvania and western New York.
"There is the potential for a narrow, solid line of snow and snow squalls that advance from the eastern Great Lakes and through the central Appalachians of Pennsylvania, New York State, western Maryland and northern West Virginia during Tuesday midday and afternoon," according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Brett Rossio.
A brief snow shower can extend all the way to Boston, New York City, Philadelphia and the northern and western suburbs of Baltimore and Washington, D.C. during Wednesday afternoon and evening. Warmer road surfaces may prevent a widespread coating of snow in these I-95 areas but some bridges and overpasses might get slippery and the visibility can drop suddenly.
Along with the accumulating snow, midwinterlike cold will encompass the Great Lakes by midweek.
"Very cold air from Canada will build into the area behind the cold front starting Tuesday night. Temperatures will be 10-20 degrees below normal for this time of the year across the Great Lakes region," AccuWeather Meteorologist Clay Chaney said.
Related:
Air temperatures in the single digits and teens along with a bone-chilling northwest wind will send AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures below zero at times, especially Wednesday into Thursday.
Aside from below-average temperatures, conditions across the Great Lakes will remain generally dry and settled into the weekend after the lake-effect snow tapers off by Thursday.
Download the free AccuWeather app to check the forecast in your area. Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo