Several storms to spread snow across Midwest, Northeast into Friday night
Travel problems from wintry precipitation will come in multiple rounds to parts of the north-central and northeastern United States for the remainder of the week. One storm could bring snow to part of Interstate 95.
A storm on Dec. 18 will hit parts of New England with snow, but most of the mid-Atlantic and Northeast will get rain.
Snow, a wintry mix, and hazardous travel conditions are expected to impact parts of the Midwest and Northeast through Friday as two storms push through the regions, AccuWeather meteorologists warn. Meanwhile, a potential third storm developing offshore in the Atlantic is being closely monitored for possible trouble.
The wintry side of the storms will cause slippery travel, mainly over the northern portions of the central and interior northeastern United States. The caboose in the storm train could create slippery conditions and major airline delays in the busy Interstate 95 Northeast corridor Friday evening should a coastal storm evolve to its full potential.
Aside from travel issues, any precipitation will be beneficial for long-term drought concerns and can help to further soak the topsoil and lead to some runoff into streams and reservoirs.
In the wake of a midweek storm, a colder storm will sweep southeastward from western Canada.
Because of its origins and speed, this storm, often referred to by the weather community as an Alberta clipper, will race from its position over the Dakotas on Wednesday night to the central Great Lakes by Thursday night.
A pocket where heavy snow will fall will extend from southern Alberta to part of North Dakota through portions of northwestern and east-central Minnesota. However, as with most Alberta clippers, this fast-moving storm will tend to bring light to moderate snowfall with limited moisture.
A general 1-3 inches of dry, fluffy snow will fall from southern North Dakota through much of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan to southern Ontario. Within this zone, a narrow strip will exist where enough moisture will be present to produce larger snowflakes for several hours that can pile up in a hurry. That area will extend from part of eastern North Dakota to central Minnesota, including the Minneapolis metro area, and on to north-central Wisconsin, including Green Bay. Both Minneapolis and Fargo, North Dakota, may end up with half a foot to a foot of snow.
Milwaukee and Detroit will both be in the zone where 1-3 inches of snow will fall during Thursday night. The Chicago metro area also will be within the swath of accumulating snow with a general 1-3 inches of snow likely to fall during Thursday night and into early Friday, possibly leading to significant travel disruptions.
Steering winds (the jet stream) will continue to push the clipper swiftly along through the Northeast from Thursday night to Friday night.
As the clipper storm nears the Atlantic coast later Friday and Friday night, a transformation will take place.
How quickly that the clipper storm's energy transfers to a budding coastal storm will have a detrimental impact on the intensity, duration and amount of snow that falls from the mid-Atlantic coast and central Appalachians through New England, AccuWeather Senior Director of Forecasting Operations Dan DePodwin said.
The clipper part of the storm alone will produce intermittent snow and flurries from the eastern Great Lakes and central Appalachians to the coastal Northeast. That can bring a coating to a spotty inch of snow--mainly over the higher terrain. Motorists should be prepared for slippery travel in the I-95 corridor from Philadelphia to New York City from this feature alone.
"The other possibility is that the energy transfer occurs quickly, which will then lead to anything from a period of snow and a small accumulation to several inches of snow and significant travel disruptions," DePodwin explained.
A storm that ramps up quickly and hugs the coast could produce slippery travel in, say, the New York metropolitan area and an all-out snowstorm in Boston and much of central and eastern New England from late Friday to early Saturday. Should the coastal storm strengthen fast enough and stay just offshore, heavy snow with strong winds and blowing and drifting snow associated with a nor'easter could unfold.
Even if southeastern New England manages to avoid a strengthening nor'easter, portions of Atlantic Canada and perhaps part of Downeast Maine may experience blizzard conditions from the storm on Saturday.
In the wake of the clipper and coastal storm combo, winds will kick up and colder air will be drawn into the Northeast. The setup will bring the lowest temperatures of the season so far for much of the region and people spending time outdoors who are not properly dressed may feel uncomfortable and run the risk of frostbite or hypothermia.
Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts™ are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.
Report a Typo
