Quick-hitting snow to create slippery travel from Pittsburgh to Baltimore, Philadelphia
By Kristina Pydynowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
February 01, 2019, 11:36:16 PM EST
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With cold air from the polar vortex still in place, a band of snow will race across the mid-Atlantic into Friday evening.
The storm unleashed as much as 4.5 inches of snow near Davenport, Iowa, on Thursday.
Three to 4 inches of snow was reported around the Indianapolis metro area. Chicago was also whitened with 1-2 inches on Thursday night.
The snow continued its journey eastward on Friday and is forecast to blanket areas from Washington, D.C. and Baltimore to Philadelphia and Atlantic City, New Jersey, with a light, but slippery accumulation.
On U.S. Route 22, southwest of Altoona, Pennsylvania, crews were at the scene working on multiple accidents that were related to slippery roads during Friday midday.
Multiple accidents occurred in southwestern Pennsylvania as snow and cold conditions combine to make for slippery roads on Feb. 1, 2019. This was one of several incidents on U.S. Route 22 alone near Cresson, Pennsylvania. (Ronald J. Shawley Photo)
South of the snow zone, there is concern for a bit of freezing rain to create a few slick spots across the lower Ohio Valley into Friday morning.
Due to the current extreme cold, the temperature of roads and sidewalks can stay below freezing for a few hours after the air warms.
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A blockbuster snowstorm is not expected, but roads can still turn slippery with potential travel delays.
Most communities can measure a coating to 4 inches, but there can be a narrow swath of amounts of 6-8 inches from central Ohio to the mountains of northern West Virginia, western Maryland and southwestern Pennsylvania.
An AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 10 inches can be measured in the highest terrain of the central Appalachians.
A few places over the Delmarva Peninsula can pick up 3-4 inches of snow.
Download the free AccuWeather app to find out how much snow is expected in your community.
The heavier snow totals anticipated in the Ohio Valley are not expected to continue along the mid-Atlantic coast.
Accumulating snow is forecast to stay south of Manhattan, where a couple of flurries are in store.
Pretty snow 🙂. It's still only -7 F though. #brrrr #iawx #dendrites pic.twitter.com/D14VboFvXh
— Jessica Brooks (@Jess_Brooks0924) January 31, 2019
The snow will have no trouble sticking to roads with the Arctic air in place. The powdery nature of the snow will make it easy to shovel. Where there is just a coating of snow, some residents may be able to just sweep the snow off driveways and sidewalks.
The snow late this week will not linger on the ground long with a dramatic upswing in temperatures anticipated this weekend and early next week.
This week’s episode of Everything Under the Sun covers two topics. First, host Regina Miller talks to Punxsutawney Phil's handler, John Griffiths for a fun look at the history and tradition of Groundhog Day. Then Regina discusses the polar vortex with AccuWeather's long-range team. What is it and what impact will it have on the length of the winter cold? Tune in to find out!
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