Major storm to bypass Northeast, but pesky rounds of winter weather to cause travel trouble spots
Published Jan 31, 2020 4:59 PM EDT
Even though multiple storms will swing through or pass near the northeastern United States through this weekend, big snow and heavy rainfall will avoid the region.
A fast flow of air will prevent the multiple storms from congealing into a single, blockbuster storm, at least as far as the U.S. is concerned. Instead fragments of storms will affect parts of the Midwest, the central Appalachians, mid-Atlantic and New England.
There are actually three systems producing precipitation that will take a swipe.
One is the main storm that is forecast to go on to slam Atlantic Canada this weekend. That was producing rain along part of the mid-Atlantic and southeast New England coasts on Friday night.
Rain is seen swiping part of the East Coast on Friday night.
"This storm produced wet snow and a wintry mix on its northwestern flank in parts of the southern Appalachians and Piedmont for a time on Friday," AccuWeather Storm Warning Meteorologist Brian Wimer said.
Snow fell and accumulated up to a few inches on grassy areas in western North Carolina, and even people in downtown Charlotte saw snowflakes falling.
The second feature is a weak storm that is likely to almost disappear as the weekend progresses. That feature produced snow over the northern part of the Ohio Valley and the lower Great Lakes region with rain over the southern part of the Ohio Valley on Friday.
"The second feature will bring a period of wet snow in the Appalachians through Saturday morning," Wimer said.
A small, slushy accumulation can occur in the Midwest.
Untreated roads can become slippery over the Appalachians. Most of the accumulation will be on grassy areas and on parked vehicles.
The third feature produced up to 6 inches of snow over the eastern parts of the Dakotas and western Minnesota during Thursday night. This third feature will help to squash the second feature and push the storm from the Southern states toward Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.
"This third feature will travel across the Great Lakes and the Ohio Valley during the day Saturday, and then the central Appalachians during Saturday night," Wimer said.
A coating to an inch or two of snow can accumulate, mainly on non-paved surfaces, from the Great Lakes to the central Appalachians spanning Saturday and Saturday night.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Once again roads can be slippery, especially during the nighttime and early-morning hours.
Snow may be falling around the time Punxsutawney Phil makes his prediction around daybreak on Sunday, Feb. 2. AccuWeather has the scoop on Punxsutawney Phil in this early spring preview.
A couple of showers of wet snow and rain can reach the coastal areas of the mid-Atlantic and New England later Saturday night to early Sunday morning.
None of the storms will bring enough snow to shovel and plow in the Interstate 95 corridor of the Northeast due to marginal temperatures and a lack of heavy precipitation. Many parts of the coastal Northeast may struggle to find a snowflake.
However, some travel issues are anticipated for motorists in parts of the interior along portions of I-68, I-70, I-75, I-76, I-77, I-79, I-80, I-81, I-86, I-90, I-94 and I-99. Even though a moderate to heavy amount of snow is not forecast, often just a thin coating can lead to many accidents.
Forecasters urge motorists to slow down and be careful in heavy traffic areas, over bridges and around curves. Areas of highways that do not receive direct sunlight during the day are more likely to be slippery than other locations.
Warmer air is forecast to overspread much of the region and deliver a taste of spring during early next week.
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
Major storm to bypass Northeast, but pesky rounds of winter weather to cause travel trouble spots
Published Jan 31, 2020 4:59 PM EDT
Even though multiple storms will swing through or pass near the northeastern United States through this weekend, big snow and heavy rainfall will avoid the region.
A fast flow of air will prevent the multiple storms from congealing into a single, blockbuster storm, at least as far as the U.S. is concerned. Instead fragments of storms will affect parts of the Midwest, the central Appalachians, mid-Atlantic and New England.
There are actually three systems producing precipitation that will take a swipe.
One is the main storm that is forecast to go on to slam Atlantic Canada this weekend. That was producing rain along part of the mid-Atlantic and southeast New England coasts on Friday night.
Rain is seen swiping part of the East Coast on Friday night.
"This storm produced wet snow and a wintry mix on its northwestern flank in parts of the southern Appalachians and Piedmont for a time on Friday," AccuWeather Storm Warning Meteorologist Brian Wimer said.
Snow fell and accumulated up to a few inches on grassy areas in western North Carolina, and even people in downtown Charlotte saw snowflakes falling.
The second feature is a weak storm that is likely to almost disappear as the weekend progresses. That feature produced snow over the northern part of the Ohio Valley and the lower Great Lakes region with rain over the southern part of the Ohio Valley on Friday.
"The second feature will bring a period of wet snow in the Appalachians through Saturday morning," Wimer said.
A small, slushy accumulation can occur in the Midwest.
Untreated roads can become slippery over the Appalachians. Most of the accumulation will be on grassy areas and on parked vehicles.
The third feature produced up to 6 inches of snow over the eastern parts of the Dakotas and western Minnesota during Thursday night. This third feature will help to squash the second feature and push the storm from the Southern states toward Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.
"This third feature will travel across the Great Lakes and the Ohio Valley during the day Saturday, and then the central Appalachians during Saturday night," Wimer said.
A coating to an inch or two of snow can accumulate, mainly on non-paved surfaces, from the Great Lakes to the central Appalachians spanning Saturday and Saturday night.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Once again roads can be slippery, especially during the nighttime and early-morning hours.
Snow may be falling around the time Punxsutawney Phil makes his prediction around daybreak on Sunday, Feb. 2. AccuWeather has the scoop on Punxsutawney Phil in this early spring preview.
A couple of showers of wet snow and rain can reach the coastal areas of the mid-Atlantic and New England later Saturday night to early Sunday morning.
Related:
None of the storms will bring enough snow to shovel and plow in the Interstate 95 corridor of the Northeast due to marginal temperatures and a lack of heavy precipitation. Many parts of the coastal Northeast may struggle to find a snowflake.
However, some travel issues are anticipated for motorists in parts of the interior along portions of I-68, I-70, I-75, I-76, I-77, I-79, I-80, I-81, I-86, I-90, I-94 and I-99. Even though a moderate to heavy amount of snow is not forecast, often just a thin coating can lead to many accidents.
Forecasters urge motorists to slow down and be careful in heavy traffic areas, over bridges and around curves. Areas of highways that do not receive direct sunlight during the day are more likely to be slippery than other locations.
Warmer air is forecast to overspread much of the region and deliver a taste of spring during early next week.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo