East Coast storm to drench I-95, blanket mountains in snow
Following episodes of rain and drizzle early this week, just enough cold air is forecast to sneak back in and bring a period of snow to parts of the central and eastern United States.
Lake-effect snow followed by a new winter storm for New England means there’s no break in the snow for the Northeast yet.
A potentially potent storm with drenching rain and accumulating snow is brewing for the middle of this week for part of the eastern United States, AccuWeather meteorologists warn. The storm is expected to deliver a mix of significant precipitation, which may lead to hazardous travel conditions across the affected regions.
A storm will spread snow over the mountains of the interior West from this weekend to early this week. Enough snow may fall to bring travel delays around Denver on Monday. The storm will play a role in the weather in the Central and Eastern states just a day or two later.
The storm over the West will then break in two as it shifts east of the Rockies. One storm will likely be very weak and somewhat starved of moisture from Monday night to Tuesday but can bring a dose of rain that follows rain from Sunday night to Monday over parts of the lower Mississippi and Ohio Valleys.
There is also a chance on Tuesday for a mix of snow and rain from this same storm over the central Plains to the Great Lakes.
The leftover part of the storm will regroup near the central Gulf coast and become stronger than the first part. This second storm should then reach the East Coast around midweek.
"This storm could bring drenching rain to portions of the Atlantic Seaboard on Wednesday and Wednesday night," AccuWeather Senior Long-Range Meteorologist Joe Lundberg said.
Enough rain may fall to cause ponding on some roads and poor visibility, especially where patches of fog and heavy traffic produce blowing spray.
"A strong push of cold air will not accompany or follow this storm but rather just enough cold air to bring some wet snow to part of the region," Lundberg said.
Rain could change to a period of accumulating snow over much of the Appalachians from North Carolina and Tennessee to northern New England and perhaps in eastern portions of the Tennessee and Ohio valleys and lower elevations around the eastern Great Lakes.
The snow may amount to only a few inches in the snowiest spots, but even a coating on roads can lead to dangerous conditions.
The snow and chill in the Appalachians will follow a couple of days of damp, rainy and foggy conditions in some cases from Monday to Tuesday.
There are still some options for the storm evolution on Wednesday. Should the storm strengthen quickly, then it could produce a significant snowfall farther to the north and west that includes the zone from the Ohio Valley to the eastern Great Lakes and northern New England. If the storm is weak or the moisture moves away too quickly, it may struggle to bring much snow at all, including over the Appalachians and instead of heavy rain along the I-95 zone, just a few showers could occur before dry air sweeps in.
In the immediate wake of the storm, a very brief and likely minor lake-effect snow event will occur on Thursday around the eastern Great Lakes.
The middle part of the month will be noted for its mild conditions and will feel significantly warmer to millions of people in the Central and Eastern states following the recent waves of Arctic air.
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