Quick-hitting weekend storm bringing another wintry blow to Northeast, including NYC and Boston
A new round of plowable snow, tree-bending ice and travel trouble is impacting the Northeast this weekend.
From tree limbs snapping right in front of people to slipping and falling on a step to cars sliding off highways, icy weather on Feb. 6 led to some serious problems.
A new round of plowable snow, tree-bending ice and travel trouble is spreading across the Northeast this weekend, AccuWeather meteorologists say.
This weekend's event will bear some resemblance to the storm that unleashed a quick burst of snow, sleet and freezing rain across the mid-Atlantic and New England on Wednesday night and Thursday.
"While a similar storm track is expected with the weekend storm, there will be more cold air available ahead of the system compared to the last event. This will result in a larger area of significant snow," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Bill Deger said.
Boston among cities in line for heavy snow
A swath of 6 inches or more of snow is expected along the Interstate 90 corridor of the Northeast. Much of the snow will fall in a six- to 12-hour period from Saturday night to Sunday morning.
"An intense stripe of snow initially developed over part of the northern Plains and Great Lakes region, bringing several inches of snow to places such as Green Bay, Wisconsin," AccuWeather Meteorologist Jacob Hinson said. "Similar accumulations are expected around Boston as the swath of heavy snow moves into New York state and New England Saturday night into Sunday morning."
In the New York City area, snowfall is expected to last longer at the onset of precipitation late Saturday, compared to the previous storm. Unlike the half-inch of snow recorded on Thursday, the upcoming storm could bring 1-3 inches to the city before a transition to sleet and freezing rain.
Snow amounts close to the AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 18 inches are most likely to occur across part of New York state, including the Hudson Valley, and southeastern New England.
The snow is expected to be light and fluffy rather than wet and heavy, which reduces the strain on tree limbs and power lines. However, localized power outages remain possible in areas where the heaviest snow accumulates.
Worst icing to focus on central Appalachians
South of the snow, another ice storm will impact the Ohio Valley, central Appalachians and into the mid-Atlantic through Saturday night.
"The most significant risk of icing lies across a swath of eastern West Virginia, far northwestern Virginia, Maryland and south-central Pennsylvania, where more than 0.25 of an inch of ice buildup is expected. This can again lead to downed tree limbs and power outages," Deger said.
Tree limbs compromised from the storm two days prior could be more susceptible to breaking with additional ice accretion.
"Ice accumulation from freezing rain can cause roads to become slick and tree branches or power lines to sag and snap, resulting in travel delays and power outages," Hinson said. Roads may be blocked where tree limbs or power lines have fallen.
The I-95 corridor from Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia will be spared from significant snow and ice from this event, but just enough snow, sleet and freezing rain can occur at the onset of precipitation to result in slippery travel through Saturday evening. Improving road conditions are expected as temperatures rise Sunday morning.
Mother Nature will offer Northeastern residents a brief reprieve from storminess later Sunday through Monday before successive winter storms rage on into the middle of February.
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