Snow, freeze-up could make parts of northeastern US turn into 'skating rink' next week
A woman in South End, Indiana, decided to test out the iciness of her driveway by sliding a pair of sneakers down it on Jan. 22. “My Reebok Pumps need a blade on the bottom because it looks like I’ll be ice skating on my driveway today,” she wrote alongside the clip.
The next widespread threat for snow and slippery travel across the eastern United States is taking shape for around Tuesday of next week.
While there can be bouts of nuisance snow and heavier squalls across the interior Northeast this weekend, more of the region can face snow and/or a rapid freeze-up Tuesday into Wednesday.
"What we know is that there will be a significant swath of snow from Minneapolis to near Chicago to start the week," according to AccuWeather Chief Video Meteorologist Bernie Rayno.
AccuWeather meteorologists are still refining the exact details of how the storm will transpire in the Northeast, but residents should still prepare for potential disruptions to travel, classes and other daily routines and activities.
"Residents of the Northeast will have problems on Tuesday," Rayno said. "It is just what the magnitude of those problems will be."
An Arctic cold front is projected to sweep across the eastern U.S. during the first half of the week as the polar vortex plunges southward.
"The question for how much snow falls in the Northeast is do we get another storm that develops on the southern side of this front," according to Rayno.
Latest indications are that the storm will develop, but its strength will determine the extent and amount of heavy snow that unfolds across the region.
A stronger storm can lead to a more significant snowstorm dropping 6 inches or more from northern Pennsylvania to northern New England later Tuesday into Wednesday.
While the snow will be a boon to the ski industry, travel can become extremely slow and difficult in these areas.
"Blizzard conditions may even develop in northern New England," Rayno added.
There can still be accumulating snow and slippery travel from northern Pennsylvania to northern New England if the storm is weaker, but not to the extent if the storm strengthens.
The snow will sweep in from the central and southern Appalachians, where several inches can accumulate on Tuesday.
In the I-95 cities from Boston to New York City, Washington, D.C., and Richmond, a brief spike in temperatures is expected to cause the storm to start as rain before a change to snow.
"The major cities in the Northeast’s I-95 corridor can go from rain to a couple inches of snow and a skating rink by Wednesday morning," according to Rayno.
That is if the cold air can catch up to the back edge of the rain fast enough. Residents may only have a short window to clear any slush as the one of the harshest Arctic outbreaks of the winters rushes in and freeze everything solid.
Even if little to no snow falls, motorists and pedestrians may still have to use caution. Where enough rain falls to leave roads and sidewalks wet, untreated surfaces can rapidly freeze.
Before any changeover to snow, AccuWeather meteorologists are monitoring the risk for the storm to strengthen enough to deliver heavy rain and renew the risk for flooding from New Jersey to eastern New England.
The storm can also bring another round of gusty winds to the Northeast, adding to the potential impacts the storm will have on travelers.
Snow from this storm will not just be confined to the nation's northern tier. The Arctic front can bring snow and a rapid freeze-up to a swath of the South Monday night into Tuesday.
"It would not shock me for the rain to end as snowflakes even down to the central Gulf Coast early next week," according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Bill Deger.
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