Rain, fog to impact travel during final hours of 2022 in northeastern US
A soggy end to 2022 is expected for millions of residents across the Northeastern U.S.
Although the weather hasn't been as tumultuous in the eastern United States for New Year's Eve when compared to Christmas Eve, a warm storm is bringing wet and foggy conditions that can bring some dangerous travel conditions.
"The flow of air over much of the eastern part of the nation is flowing from a completely different direction from last week around this time," AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said. "Instead of frigid air coming from the Arctic Circle, warm and moist air is flowing from the Gulf of Mexico in the East and from the Pacific over much of the balance of the nation."
Since late this past week, temperatures, and especially AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures, have been 50, 60 and even 70 degrees Fahrenheit higher compared to the sub-zero conditions during Christmas weekend.
That wind flow reversal, especially at the middle and upper parts of the atmosphere, has resulted in a completely different storm than the megastorm that struck before Christmas.
One key difference is that this storm is not nearly as strong as the bomb cyclone that roared around the Great Lakes region with howling winds, life-threatening low temperatures and feet of snow during the Christmas weekend. Instead, mild air with clouds, rain and drizzle has enveloped the region.
Temperatures during much of the storm will be in the 40s and 50s in the Northeast and the 60s and 70s in part of the Southeast.
The mild air and rain instead of snow and bitter cold will still lead to some travel issues and other dangers, meteorologists say.
AccuWeather meteorologists say the biggest weather impact to travel this weekend will likely be the poor visibility. Dense fog recently contributed to a deadly, multiple-vehicle pileup in China. In New York City, poor visibility led to a ground stop at LaGuardia Airport on Saturday morning. Similar conditions can also occur in Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh, Boston, Atlanta and possibly the busy airline hubs of Charlotte and Detroit for a time.
Rayno urged motorists who will be headed out to ring in the new year to be extra careful. "Lots of fog will be present around the Northeast region Saturday night," he said.
There is the potential for ripple-effect airline delays and flight cancellations from the fog in the East and perhaps from a major storm along the Pacific coast that will target the San Francisco Bay Area and also send some impacts as far south as Los Angeles and as far north as Seattle this weekend. By early next week, that same storm is forecast to spread a swath of snow from the Rockies to the northern Plains and the risk of severe weather in part of the south-central region.
Aside from dense fog, rain will be another potential travel issue from the storm in the East this weekend. However, while downpours can occur anywhere, they will be most common in the Southern states, where thunderstorms may develop.
Most of the storm's rain in the Northeast will be light and more of a nuisance, but a couple of downpours can still occur, especially for those waiting outdoors ahead of the stroke of midnight, such as in Times Square.
Widespread urban flooding is not expected from the storm, but some problems can arise over the interior Northeast, where piles of snow may be blocking storm drains. Forecasters say there is also the potential for ice-jam flooding on some of the small streams and rivers. The several days of frigid temperatures were just enough for a substantial amount of ice to form on some waterways.
The window for ice fishing may close rapidly due to the prolonged warmer conditions. Due to the current thaw that will last well into next week, the ice that formed on area ponds and lakes is likely to thin quickly and could break without notice this weekend. Parents are urged to warn children not to venture onto the ice because of the changing conditions.
The weather will dramatically improve across much of the Southeast Saturday night and on Sunday in the Northeast, forecasters say. Motorists in the eastern U.S. taking to the roads on New Year's Day or Monday should not encounter problems from Mother Nature.
While cold air will not be in a hurry to return to southern and eastern parts of the U.S. during January, it is possible that just enough chilly air will seep in for some periodic wintry conditions in portions of the Midwest and the Appalachians.
AccuWeather's team of long-range meteorologists will be monitoring the tracks of a few storms and the movement of chilly air from later next week through the middle of January for possible snow.
At the very least, the weather is likely to turn progressively colder during the second week of January as a northwesterly flow of air from central Canada resumes and mild air from the Pacific and warm air from the Gulf become less widespread.
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