'Whiteout conditions expected' across the Northeast early week
A snowy pattern is setting up across the Great Lakes and Northeast through early week, AccuWeather forecasters warn, with visibility-reducing snow showers and squalls expected.
Several different waves of cold air, along with chances of snow, will sweep from the Great Lakes into the Northeast this week.
Following the dramatic cold weather that encompassed the Midwest and Northeast last week, residents in the area may be asking when the relentless brisk and snowy weather will begin to wane as the latter half of the winter season trudges onward.
Many cities spanning from Minneapolis to Pittsburgh observed repeat days featuring temperatures down to subzero values last week, raising heating demands across the region.
Waves of storms early this week
While temperatures have trended a few degrees higher over recent days and thermometers, have finally crested the 32-degree mark for a time, forecasters warn that occasional bursts of chilly air and snow through the end of the month can occur. Early this week, two clipper-type storms tracking southward out of Canada will spark rounds of lake-effect snow showers and squalls.
"Despite temperatures briefly climbing upward for some locations in recent days, the upcoming weather pattern early this week will continue to feature chances for snow across the Great Lakes and Northeast," highlighted AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham.
Buckingham added that a one-two punch pattern is on the docket early this week, featuring a powerful cold front and a quick-hitting clipper system between Monday and Tuesday that will bring the risk for strong wind gusts and snow squalls across the Great Lakes and Northeast.
Gusty winds to complicate matters, produce blowing snow
Tuesday will not be quite as windy as Monday and Monday night, but gusts can still crest the 30-mph mark across the lakeshores and Northeast.
As the strong winds blow across the region, forecasters are highlighting a growing concern for hefty bands of snow and squalls that can develop across southern Canada and push south and eastward on Tuesday morning.
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While the heaviest concentration of accumulating snow will be along the eastern shores of the lakes, several inches can accumulate farther inland across parts of Michigan, Pennsylvania and New York.
Snow showers and squalls can extend as far south as portions of interstates 80, 81, and 76 in Pennsylvania and can potentially bring traffic to a standstill if they are intense enough. Temperatures will be low enough to raise concerns for the heaviest bands to drop a quick coating of snow on roadways.
Even locations in Massachusetts, including the Boston metro, will be at risk for visibility-reducing squalls into Tuesday morning.
Another round of snow, flurries and heavier snow squalls will pivot from northwest to southeast across the Midwest, the central Appalachians, the mid-Atlantic and New England from later Tuesday to Wednesday.
At first, a period of steady snow will occur in many areas. However, shortly after, the snow will tend to get more bubbly and could lead to locally heavy snow squalls, for example, during the afternoon on Wednesday in parts of the Northeast.
A general 1-3 inches of snow is forecast to fall over much of upstate New York, northern and western Pennsylvania, northeastern Ohio and central and southern New England from the second clipper storm.
A couple of snow squalls may reach coastal areas of I-95 in New England and the upper part of the mid-Atlantic.
As the flow of cold air resumes across the Great Lakes, lake-effect will continue to boost the accumulation in some areas by several inches to a foot or more in the most persistent bands.
Pattern change as the calendar turns to February
Summarizing the temperatures observed so far this month, locations across the Northeast and I-95 corridor are tracking several degrees below the historical averages given the recent cold conditions that have gripped the region.
Overall, Washington, D.C., is trending nearly 6 degrees below their historical averages, Philadelphia is around 5 degrees below and New York City is around 4 degrees below.
Into early February, the more moderate temperature pattern will continue across much of the Northeast.
In addition to the cold conditions that have plagued the region over the last month, the general lack of snow along the I-95 corridor has actually resulted in levels of severe and extreme drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
"Cities like Philadelphia have only reported 4.9 inches of snow since Oct. 1, which is roughly 50% of the historical average snowfall during that time frame," explained AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Courtney Travis.
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