ICYMI: The 2022 hurricane season special aired on the AccuWeather TV network. Watch it here. Chevron right

Ashburn, VA

60° F
Location Chevron down
Location News Videos
Use Current Location
Recent

Ashburn

Virginia

60°
No results found.
Try searching for a city, zip code or point of interest.
settings
Ashburn, VA Weather
Today WinterCast Local {stormName} Tracker Hourly Daily Radar MinuteCast Monthly Air Quality Health & Activities

Around the Globe

Hurricane Tracker

Severe Weather

Radar & Maps

News

News & Features

Astronomy

Business

Climate

Health

Recreation

Sports

Travel

Video

Podcasts

Winter Center

News & Features AccuWeather Prime Astronomy Business Climate Health Recreation Sports Travel

News / Winter Weather

Major winter storm to close out January, start February

By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist

Published Jan. 26, 2021 7:53 PM EDT | Updated Jan. 28, 2021 3:19 PM EDT

Copied

A winter storm dropped several inches of snow in Ames, Iowa, on Jan. 25, covering roads and cars in fresh powder.

AccuWeather forecasters are keeping a close eye on the storm that began pummeling California on Tuesday because, as it moves inland, it will trek eastward and is bound to meet up with frigid air. Forecasters expect it to wreak havoc over the weekend in parts of the heartland that saw record snowfall, and then into the early part of next week across the mid-Atlantic and Northeast.

A critical factor in the precipitation type associated with this storm will be cold air that is expected to be in place ahead of the storm system's arrival.

"There will likely be a large zone of cold air ahead of the storm across the Midwest and Northeast," AccuWeather Forecasting Manager Dan DePodwin said.

A monster storm pounded the West Coast on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2020. It will charge across the country, restrengthen and dump snow and ice on the Midwest and Northeast. (NOAA / GOES-EAST)

In fact, the weather in the Northeast will be downright cold and nasty from Friday to Saturday and, with high temperatures forecast to top out in the mid- to upper 20s in New York City, for example, could rival some of the lowest temperatures of the season so far that were achieved just last weekend.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP

"This extensive cold air may help keep the precipitation as snow in many places, especially away from the immediate Atlantic coast," DePodwin said of the forecast for the weekend into early next week.

This wedge of cold air is a concern in terms of snow and ice as far south as the Piedmont areas of the Carolinas from late this weekend to early next week.

Arctic air, such as what will be settled over this swath of the country, is denser than the surrounding air. Thus, the Arctic air in place across an area extending from the eastern portions of the Dakotas down south into slices of the Carolinas and northern Georgia and north up into Maine won't easily be pushed out when the storm approaches.

As the storm advances eastward, it will tap into moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and, upon colliding with the Arctic air in place, most likely set up a swath of snow and ice that can extend for hundreds of miles along parts of Interstate 70, 80 and 90 corridors of the Central states by the start of the weekend.

"Some areas in the Midwest that were hit with heavy snow from the storm during Monday and Tuesday of this week could get hit again with more snow to shovel and plow," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Courtney Travis said.

Next, that wintry precipitation is expected to spread into portions of the central Appalachians and mid-Atlantic region beginning later this weekend, where moisture from the Atlantic Ocean will come into play. And, the forecast in this area may get even more tricky during early next week.

"How much snow falls from the mid-Atlantic and central Appalachians to New England may depend on whether the storm re-strengthens or a secondary storm forms along the Atlantic coast on Monday," DePodwin said.

"A stronger storm or near-coast secondary storm would have the potential to bring heavy snow to the Northeast while a weaker storm or no secondary storm might only bring light and easily managed precipitation," DePodwin added.

AccuWeather forecasters will be monitoring closely for signs that the second part of the storm along the Atlantic coast could develop. Should conditions allow that storm to develop, a potent nor'easter could unfold. With the cold air in place, a nor'easter could stall over the Northeast and have the potential to deliver heavy snowfall in some areas, as well other impacts such as gusty winds and possible coastal flooding.

Preceding the large storm will be a blast of Arctic air in the Northeast during the latter part of this week.

This cold shot may not only bring the lowest temperatures of the winter but may also be accompanied by locally blinding snow squalls that can make for dangerous conditions on area highways from the Great Lakes to the central Appalachians, the mid-Atlantic and New England.

Related:

Extreme rainfall could top 20 inches in California
Snow blowers worth the investment this winter
Winter storm unloads 'historic snow' as it marches eastward
Snow was so deep, city had to dump it off bridges

Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.

Report a Typo
Comments that don't add to the conversation may be automatically or manually removed by Facebook or AccuWeather. Profanity, personal attacks, and spam will not be tolerated.
Comments
Hide Comments

Weather News

Hurricane

1st named storm of season may spawn over the eastern Pacific Ocean

May 26, 2022
Severe Weather

'Very scary sight to see' as massive tornado spins across open field

May 25, 2022
Weather News

NASA satellite captures images of 'Sharkcano' eruption

May 25, 2022
Weather News

Jumping worms, the evil twin of earthworms, showing up in California

May 24, 2022
Astronomy

Planets to converge during pre-dawn phenomenon

May 25, 2022
Astronomy

Asteroid the size of 350 giraffes to fly past Earth this week

May 24, 2022
Weather Forecasts

AccuWeather's 2022 Canada summer forecast

May 24, 2022
video

Floating cities becoming a reality to circumvent sea-level rise

May 25, 2022
Health

Monkeypox fast facts: What you need to know

May 23, 2022
Recreation

16 spring essentials that you shouldn't do without

Feb. 4, 2021
Health

Collars and chewables to keep your pup free of ticks and fleas

Apr. 28, 2022
Show More Show Less Chevron down

Topics

News & Features

AccuWeather Prime

Astronomy

Business

Climate

Health

Recreation

Sports

Travel

Top Stories

Severe Weather

Severe weather from huge storm to grind eastward into Friday

3 hours ago

Weather Forecasts

How's Memorial Day weekend weather shaping up? Here's the latest

1 hour ago

Severe Weather

Deadly derecho hit half of Canada's population, spawned EF2 tornado

15 hours ago

Tornado leaves devastating path of damage

4 days ago 0:53

Podcast: Wildfires, droughts, energy shortages: a long hot summer ahea...

More Stories

Featured Topic

Local Arthritis Forecast

Featured Stories

It's been 75 years since the first named hurricane struck US soil Comfy mattresses you can pick up on sale this Memorial Day Coolers that'll help you beat the extreme summer heat
AccuWeather Winter Weather Major winter storm to close out January, start February
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs Podcast RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Shop AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Weather Blogs Winter Weather
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs Podcast RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Shop AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Weather Blogs Winter Weather
© 2021 AccuWeather, Inc. "AccuWeather" and sun design are registered trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | TAG Disclosure | Do Not Sell My Data checkmark Confirmed Not Selling Your Data

We have updated our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

I Understand

Get AccuWeather alerts as they happen with our browser notifications.

Notifications Enabled

Thanks! We’ll keep you informed.

FEEDBACK