More snow may target northeastern US on Groundhog Day
Snow and the risk of slippery travel in the northeastern United States this week may not end with the storm early on, but could ramp up for Groundhog Day as a storm from the Ohio Valley arrives.
After snow sweeps over parts of the Northeast Monday into Tuesday, the potential exists for a more far-reaching swath of snow to arrive later in the week with frigid air to follow.
"The storm may spread wintry weather over a large area from the lower Midwest states to the Northeast," AccuWeather Meteorologist Brian Thompson said.
While precise details of the storm will be worked out in the coming days, the storm can lay enough snow to shovel or plow and cause disruptions during the first two days of February.
A surge of milder air ahead of the storm may cause rain to initially fall, but that may only worsen the situation for motorists and those traveling by foot.
"A rapid freeze-up can be an added danger with this storm," Thompson said. "As the colder air rushes in, rain will not only change to snow, but wet roads and sidewalks may turn icy."
Residents from St. Louis to Cincinnati, Ohio, to Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York City and Boston could face slippery travel, flight cancellations, school closures and disruptions to other daily routines if the storm develops to its full potential.
"Such a storm, if it materializes, may affect flights in the Interstate 95 corridor for fans heading to Minnesota for the Super Bowl," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said.
"Some of the details that need to be hammered out with this storm include how strong the storm will be, how fast it will move and how far south the cold air will get," Thompson said.
Those factors will help to determine how much snow will fall, how disruptive the storm will be and the exact path for the swath of snow.
A much weaker storm would limit snow amounts to a coating to a couple of inches. The storm track may set up more to the south, putting areas from the Tennessee Valley to North Carolina at risk for snow.
There may be snow on the ground or falling when Punxsutawney Phil emerges from Gobbler’s Knob in Pennsylvania.
“Punxsutawney Phil will have a hard time seeing his shadow with clouds and perhaps even some snow in the air Friday morning,” Thompson said. Phil has not seen his shadow, his indication for an early spring, four out of the last 17 years.
Regardless of the storm’s exact track and Phil’s prediction, it will not feel like winter is releasing its grip on the Northeast and Midwest in the storm's wake.
Fresh arctic air plunging in behind the storm may rival the frigid air following the early-week storm as the coldest of the week.
Additional bouts of frigid air may follow through the first half of February and can pave the way for frequent winter storms across the central and eastern half of the U.S.
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