Storm may eye southern US with snow early next week
By
Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Updated Dec 5, 2020 1:39 PM EST
The hits from Old Man Winter will keep coming to the eastern part of the United States during the second week of December. AccuWeather meteorologists are keeping tabs on a storm that could spread accumulating snow from parts of the southern Appalachians to perhaps close to the Virginia and North Carolina coasts early next week.
Even though the winterlike storm should not develop into a blockbuster event in terms of snowfall amounts, it is forecast to target some snow-sensitive areas outside of the Appalachians in the Southeastern states early next week.
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The storm is forecast to occur about a week after a storm that brought heavy snow to parts of the Midwest and Great Lakes also sent snow as far to the south as northern Georgia and deposited a few inches of snow on the southern Appalachians.
Close to 50,000 customers woke up on Dec. 1, without power in northeastern Ohio from an extreme snowfall event that buried some towns in 2 feet of snow.
Spotty snow and a wintry mix are expected to break out later Sunday and Sunday night over part of the Tennessee Valley to the southern Appalachians and spread eastward from there on Monday. The storm will be tapping moisture from both the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic to help fuel the precipitation.
"Travel may become slippery Sunday night and remain so into Monday through the mountains of Tennessee, Kentucky, northern Georgia, North Carolina and southwestern Virginia, including portions of Interstate-40, I-26 and I-77," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson said.
Heavier bursts of snow in the mountains may briefly lower visibility at times. Motorists traveling through the southern Appalachians will face the risk of delays and dangerous travel conditions. Several inches of snow could pile up at elevations of 2,500 feet or higher.
Snow or a wintry mix is expected to spread to lower elevations farther to the east over North Carolina and Virginia during the midday and afternoon on Monday. People in Winston-Salem, Raleigh, Greensboro, Durham and Mooresville, North Carolina, and Danville and Richmond, Virginia, may see snowflakes flying on Monday. Wet snow or a wintry mix may even bring a taste of winter to upstate South Carolina.
"Most roads are likely to be wet in the zone east of the Appalachians in Virginia and the Carolinas, but there can be slippery conditions on bridges, overpasses and portions of roads that do not receive direct sunlight during the daytime," Anderson said.
Drops in visibility could create tricky conditions for motorists in Atlanta, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Washington, D.C. Precautionary deicing operations at airports may also lead to an increase in airline delays in these same areas. Washington, D.C., is forecast to be near the northern edge of the snow area, and Atlanta will be on the southern edge. The air may be too warm to allow much snow to fall, let alone accumulate at Charlotte.
However, temperatures will dip in the wake of the storm during Monday night.
"Depending on whether or not a drying wind kicks in following the storm, untreated wet roads and sidewalks may quickly freeze up Monday evening," Anderson warned.
Westerly winds should steer the storm out to sea before it is expected to turn northward Monday night into Tuesday. If these winds don't kick in as currently forecast, then there will be a chance that the storm could jog northward along the mid-Atlantic and New England coast and lead to a period of snow from Philadelphia to New York City and Boston.
AccuWeather will continue to monitor the progress of the developing storm setup.
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
Storm may eye southern US with snow early next week
By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Updated Dec 5, 2020 1:39 PM EST
The hits from Old Man Winter will keep coming to the eastern part of the United States during the second week of December. AccuWeather meteorologists are keeping tabs on a storm that could spread accumulating snow from parts of the southern Appalachians to perhaps close to the Virginia and North Carolina coasts early next week.
Even though the winterlike storm should not develop into a blockbuster event in terms of snowfall amounts, it is forecast to target some snow-sensitive areas outside of the Appalachians in the Southeastern states early next week.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
The storm is forecast to occur about a week after a storm that brought heavy snow to parts of the Midwest and Great Lakes also sent snow as far to the south as northern Georgia and deposited a few inches of snow on the southern Appalachians.
Close to 50,000 customers woke up on Dec. 1, without power in northeastern Ohio from an extreme snowfall event that buried some towns in 2 feet of snow.
Spotty snow and a wintry mix are expected to break out later Sunday and Sunday night over part of the Tennessee Valley to the southern Appalachians and spread eastward from there on Monday. The storm will be tapping moisture from both the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic to help fuel the precipitation.
"Travel may become slippery Sunday night and remain so into Monday through the mountains of Tennessee, Kentucky, northern Georgia, North Carolina and southwestern Virginia, including portions of Interstate-40, I-26 and I-77," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson said.
Heavier bursts of snow in the mountains may briefly lower visibility at times. Motorists traveling through the southern Appalachians will face the risk of delays and dangerous travel conditions. Several inches of snow could pile up at elevations of 2,500 feet or higher.
Snow or a wintry mix is expected to spread to lower elevations farther to the east over North Carolina and Virginia during the midday and afternoon on Monday. People in Winston-Salem, Raleigh, Greensboro, Durham and Mooresville, North Carolina, and Danville and Richmond, Virginia, may see snowflakes flying on Monday. Wet snow or a wintry mix may even bring a taste of winter to upstate South Carolina.
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"Most roads are likely to be wet in the zone east of the Appalachians in Virginia and the Carolinas, but there can be slippery conditions on bridges, overpasses and portions of roads that do not receive direct sunlight during the daytime," Anderson said.
Drops in visibility could create tricky conditions for motorists in Atlanta, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Washington, D.C. Precautionary deicing operations at airports may also lead to an increase in airline delays in these same areas. Washington, D.C., is forecast to be near the northern edge of the snow area, and Atlanta will be on the southern edge. The air may be too warm to allow much snow to fall, let alone accumulate at Charlotte.
However, temperatures will dip in the wake of the storm during Monday night.
"Depending on whether or not a drying wind kicks in following the storm, untreated wet roads and sidewalks may quickly freeze up Monday evening," Anderson warned.
Westerly winds should steer the storm out to sea before it is expected to turn northward Monday night into Tuesday. If these winds don't kick in as currently forecast, then there will be a chance that the storm could jog northward along the mid-Atlantic and New England coast and lead to a period of snow from Philadelphia to New York City and Boston.
AccuWeather will continue to monitor the progress of the developing storm setup.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo