Quick-hitting storm to deliver downpours, snow from Southeast to mid-Atlantic
By
Maura Kelly, AccuWeather meteorologist
Published Dec 11, 2020 6:36 PM EST
|
Updated Dec 12, 2020 8:17 PM EST
A thoughtful staff member at St. Richard's Hospice in Worcester, England, made a patient's wish to see snow again come true with the help of snow machines on Dec. 9.
A storm will track through the southern Rocky Mountains and into the southern Plains this weekend, bringing disruptive weather along with it. After spreading the season's first snow for some across these areas, the storm will dip down toward the central Gulf Coast, where the storm will begin to ramp up.
As the storm taps into the abundant moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, it will begin to strengthen and spread rain across eastern Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi Sunday afternoon.
"This storm could produce some thunderstorms across eastern Texas, Louisiana and into Mississippi late Sunday afternoon or evening, especially along the coast," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Kottlowski said, adding that the storms are not expected to become severe.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
By Sunday night and Monday, the storm will race through the Southeast, bringing rain to Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, the Carolinas, Virginia and Maryland.
The moisture that will help the storm to strengthen will also help to fuel heavier downpours.
Kottlowski expects rainfall totals to reach 0.50 of an inch to 1.50 inches in areas where the heaviest rain falls. Based on the forecast track of the storm, the heaviest rain is anticipated to drench eastern Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, northern Alabama, northern Georgia, western North Carolina and into Virginia.
However, one factor should limit total rainfall amounts. "On Monday, the storm will be moving fast, which will help to keep rainfall totals down," added Kottlowski.
The amount of rain projected could still be enough to cause flash flooding, mainly in portions of the mid-Atlantic that pick up heavy rain at the start the week. Some ponding on roads is possible in the Southeast, especially in low-lying areas or where fallen leaves may be blocking gutters.
Most of the precipitation expected with this storm will fall in the form of rain as the storm tracks through a relatively warm area. However, established cold over parts of the Appalachian Mountains, interior mid-Atlantic and southern New England will allow rain to change to snow, especially in the higher elevations.
"Most of the accumulating snow is expected to fall above 2,000 to 3,000 feet in the mountains of North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia," added Kottlowski.
A coating to an inch of snow is expected to whiten areas across much of the southern and central Appalachians into the Poconos, perhaps even into southern New England. In the higher terrain of West Virginia and south-central Pennsylvania, as well as the Catskill and Pocono mountains, snowfall accumulations are expected to climb to 1-3 inches. A bulls-eye of 3-6 inches is expected in the West Virginia mountains, with and AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 8 inches.
"Interstate 81, which runs through the mountains of Pennsylvania and western Virginia, reaches around 2,000 feet in some locations. It is possible that these stretches of road could get snowy and pick up a coating of snow Monday morning," Kottlowski said. Any amount of snow on roadways could lead to slippery conditions for motorists.
The system will arrive just in time for the Monday morning commute in the mid-Atlantic. With cold temperatures overnight ahead of the storm, untreated surfaces could become very slick. With attention from many on a second, more significant winter storm for the region during the middle of the week, this system could catch some off-gaurd with the slippery conditions Monday morning.
"This system could be very sneaky, bringing generally light but impactful accumulations Monday, when many are looking ahead to more snow potential Wednesday and Thursday," explained AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Tyler Roys.
The weather system is forecast to move off the mid-Atlantic coast through Monday night and race away from the eastern U.S. As this storm moves away to the east, the next storm in the parade will begin taking shape across the central Plains.
As aforementioned, it is the next storm that may become a blockbuster storm for the Northeast with hefty snow amounts possible across the interior around the middle of next week.
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
Quick-hitting storm to deliver downpours, snow from Southeast to mid-Atlantic
By Maura Kelly, AccuWeather meteorologist
Published Dec 11, 2020 6:36 PM EST | Updated Dec 12, 2020 8:17 PM EST
A thoughtful staff member at St. Richard's Hospice in Worcester, England, made a patient's wish to see snow again come true with the help of snow machines on Dec. 9.
A storm will track through the southern Rocky Mountains and into the southern Plains this weekend, bringing disruptive weather along with it. After spreading the season's first snow for some across these areas, the storm will dip down toward the central Gulf Coast, where the storm will begin to ramp up.
As the storm taps into the abundant moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, it will begin to strengthen and spread rain across eastern Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi Sunday afternoon.
"This storm could produce some thunderstorms across eastern Texas, Louisiana and into Mississippi late Sunday afternoon or evening, especially along the coast," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Kottlowski said, adding that the storms are not expected to become severe.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
By Sunday night and Monday, the storm will race through the Southeast, bringing rain to Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, the Carolinas, Virginia and Maryland.
The moisture that will help the storm to strengthen will also help to fuel heavier downpours.
Kottlowski expects rainfall totals to reach 0.50 of an inch to 1.50 inches in areas where the heaviest rain falls. Based on the forecast track of the storm, the heaviest rain is anticipated to drench eastern Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, northern Alabama, northern Georgia, western North Carolina and into Virginia.
However, one factor should limit total rainfall amounts. "On Monday, the storm will be moving fast, which will help to keep rainfall totals down," added Kottlowski.
Related:
The amount of rain projected could still be enough to cause flash flooding, mainly in portions of the mid-Atlantic that pick up heavy rain at the start the week. Some ponding on roads is possible in the Southeast, especially in low-lying areas or where fallen leaves may be blocking gutters.
Most of the precipitation expected with this storm will fall in the form of rain as the storm tracks through a relatively warm area. However, established cold over parts of the Appalachian Mountains, interior mid-Atlantic and southern New England will allow rain to change to snow, especially in the higher elevations.
"Most of the accumulating snow is expected to fall above 2,000 to 3,000 feet in the mountains of North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia," added Kottlowski.
A coating to an inch of snow is expected to whiten areas across much of the southern and central Appalachians into the Poconos, perhaps even into southern New England. In the higher terrain of West Virginia and south-central Pennsylvania, as well as the Catskill and Pocono mountains, snowfall accumulations are expected to climb to 1-3 inches. A bulls-eye of 3-6 inches is expected in the West Virginia mountains, with and AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 8 inches.
"Interstate 81, which runs through the mountains of Pennsylvania and western Virginia, reaches around 2,000 feet in some locations. It is possible that these stretches of road could get snowy and pick up a coating of snow Monday morning," Kottlowski said. Any amount of snow on roadways could lead to slippery conditions for motorists.
The system will arrive just in time for the Monday morning commute in the mid-Atlantic. With cold temperatures overnight ahead of the storm, untreated surfaces could become very slick. With attention from many on a second, more significant winter storm for the region during the middle of the week, this system could catch some off-gaurd with the slippery conditions Monday morning.
"This system could be very sneaky, bringing generally light but impactful accumulations Monday, when many are looking ahead to more snow potential Wednesday and Thursday," explained AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Tyler Roys.
The weather system is forecast to move off the mid-Atlantic coast through Monday night and race away from the eastern U.S. As this storm moves away to the east, the next storm in the parade will begin taking shape across the central Plains.
As aforementioned, it is the next storm that may become a blockbuster storm for the Northeast with hefty snow amounts possible across the interior around the middle of next week.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo