Clipper system to bring quick burst of snow to Northeast
By
Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Dec 8, 2020 4:36 PM EDT
|
Updated Dec 9, 2020 8:50 PM EDT
Winterlike storms have been affecting different parts of the East in recent days, and with just under two weeks to go until the season officially changes on Dec. 21, yet another system will continue to unleash a dose of winter weather for some areas of the Northeast into Wednesday night.
A bomb cyclone blasted New England with the first heavy snowfall and near-blizzard conditions of the season and other areas with drenching rain and high winds over the weekend, but the Northeast dodged snow from a storm that affected Virginia and West Virginia on Monday. A sneaky midweek storm has already delivered enough snow to cause some travel concerns in part of the Northeast and is likely to continue to do so in during Wednesday night
People who live in New York state and New England to parts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey should be prepared for travel delays into Wednesday night as a clipper storm will dip southward from central Canada, spreading a dose of accumulating snow across the region.
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Assisting the storm with its snowy task will be some moisture from the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean. Clipper storms typically bring a light and spotty snowfall that lasts only a few hours, since they tend to be weak and quick-moving. But in this case, warmer air over the Midwest will rise over top of a wedge of cold air stuck in the Northeast, which will help to enhance precipitation, producing a heavier and longer-lasting round of snow across part of the region.
Snow covered the ground in spots north of U.S. Route 322 in Pennsylvania, while the snow was more far-reaching in the northeastern part of the state during the day Wednesday. Snow clogged Interstate 81 for a time in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Pennsylvania area.
A coating to an inch of snow can occur in patches northwest of the Turnpike in New Jersey and along and west of I-95 in New England into Wednesday night. Most of the snow accumulation will be on non-paved surfaces in these areas.
Only a small amount of snow is in store for in places like New York City, but this is first time the New York City area will has seen snow since its record-tying latest snowfall last season on May 9.
Even if only a small amount of snow falls, AccuWeather forecasters warn that it only takes a coating of snow to make roads and sidewalks slippery.
"Where even a small amount of snow occurs during the evening and overnight hours, roads have a greater chance of being colder and slippery as opposed to conditions when a snowfall occurs during the middle of the day," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brian Wimer said.
Motorists should be prepared for a slippery evening commute in New York state, New Jersey and New England on Wednesday.
A small amount of snow can be most troublesome for motorists and pedestrians. Meteorologists urged people to exercise caution when driving or walking in the wintry weather.
Where snow fell and made roads wet during the day Wednesday, untreated wet surfaces could become icy soon after sunset Wednesday night.
A general 1-3 inches (3-8 centimeters) of snow is forecast from the eastern Ontario and southwestern Quebec to the northern tier of Pennsylvania, northwestern New Jersey, part of the Hudson Valley of New York state and central New England.
Heavier snow, on the order of 3-6 inches, can fall on the Adirondacks of northern New York state and the Green Mountains of Vermont with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 9 inches.
The snow and snow showers are forecast to retreat to the northeast during Wednesday night and Thursday morning with portions of northern New England being the last to deal with the clipper storm.
But, the wintry conditions won't last long this time. Milder air will arrive after a chilly Thursday night across the region.
The next storm is likely to bring mostly rain to the region this weekend as a substantial warmup will take place from Friday to Saturday. Daytime temperatures will climb into the 40s across the northern tier and the 60s around the Chesapeake Bay.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo
News / Winter Weather
Clipper system to bring quick burst of snow to Northeast
By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Dec 8, 2020 4:36 PM EDT | Updated Dec 9, 2020 8:50 PM EDT
Winterlike storms have been affecting different parts of the East in recent days, and with just under two weeks to go until the season officially changes on Dec. 21, yet another system will continue to unleash a dose of winter weather for some areas of the Northeast into Wednesday night.
A bomb cyclone blasted New England with the first heavy snowfall and near-blizzard conditions of the season and other areas with drenching rain and high winds over the weekend, but the Northeast dodged snow from a storm that affected Virginia and West Virginia on Monday. A sneaky midweek storm has already delivered enough snow to cause some travel concerns in part of the Northeast and is likely to continue to do so in during Wednesday night
People who live in New York state and New England to parts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey should be prepared for travel delays into Wednesday night as a clipper storm will dip southward from central Canada, spreading a dose of accumulating snow across the region.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Assisting the storm with its snowy task will be some moisture from the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean. Clipper storms typically bring a light and spotty snowfall that lasts only a few hours, since they tend to be weak and quick-moving. But in this case, warmer air over the Midwest will rise over top of a wedge of cold air stuck in the Northeast, which will help to enhance precipitation, producing a heavier and longer-lasting round of snow across part of the region.
Snow covered the ground in spots north of U.S. Route 322 in Pennsylvania, while the snow was more far-reaching in the northeastern part of the state during the day Wednesday. Snow clogged Interstate 81 for a time in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Pennsylvania area.
A coating to an inch of snow can occur in patches northwest of the Turnpike in New Jersey and along and west of I-95 in New England into Wednesday night. Most of the snow accumulation will be on non-paved surfaces in these areas.
Only a small amount of snow is in store for in places like New York City, but this is first time the New York City area will has seen snow since its record-tying latest snowfall last season on May 9.
Even if only a small amount of snow falls, AccuWeather forecasters warn that it only takes a coating of snow to make roads and sidewalks slippery.
"Where even a small amount of snow occurs during the evening and overnight hours, roads have a greater chance of being colder and slippery as opposed to conditions when a snowfall occurs during the middle of the day," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brian Wimer said.
Motorists should be prepared for a slippery evening commute in New York state, New Jersey and New England on Wednesday.
A small amount of snow can be most troublesome for motorists and pedestrians. Meteorologists urged people to exercise caution when driving or walking in the wintry weather.
Where snow fell and made roads wet during the day Wednesday, untreated wet surfaces could become icy soon after sunset Wednesday night.
A general 1-3 inches (3-8 centimeters) of snow is forecast from the eastern Ontario and southwestern Quebec to the northern tier of Pennsylvania, northwestern New Jersey, part of the Hudson Valley of New York state and central New England.
Heavier snow, on the order of 3-6 inches, can fall on the Adirondacks of northern New York state and the Green Mountains of Vermont with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 9 inches.
The snow and snow showers are forecast to retreat to the northeast during Wednesday night and Thursday morning with portions of northern New England being the last to deal with the clipper storm.
But, the wintry conditions won't last long this time. Milder air will arrive after a chilly Thursday night across the region.
The next storm is likely to bring mostly rain to the region this weekend as a substantial warmup will take place from Friday to Saturday. Daytime temperatures will climb into the 40s across the northern tier and the 60s around the Chesapeake Bay.
Related:
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo