Forecasters are expecting up to 2 feet of snow early next week for the populated NE region of US. Prepare yourself and your immediate family... The snow is sure to blow.
Paralyzing, crippling blizzard-like conditions are on the way for a second 2015 East Coast winter storm in as many days, which threatens to dump up to two feet of snow.
From Boston to New York City, many will feel high winds and see significant snow accumulations as an Alberta clipper moves through the Ohio Valley Sunday and off the Mid-Atlantic coast Monday before intensifying over Long Island and New England through Wednesday.
This clipper system will soon be bringing snow to the Ohio Valley and mid-Atlantic with a transition to a powerful nor'easter Monday into Tuesday.
Heavy snow and strong winds, with blizzard conditions are possible in parts of the northern mid-Atlantic and New England. A Blizzard Watch is in effect for Long Island and coastal Massachusetts. Winter Storm Watches stretch from Delaware all the way up to Maine.
The amplified pattern across the nation will continue which features a broad upper trough extending over the eastern half of the U.S. Meanwhile, a Rex block is expected across the West which indicates a ridge is bounded to the south by a closed upper low.
The deep upper trough stretching from the Great Plains eastward to the Eastern Seaboard will allow a series of disturbances to dig through the Ohio/Tennessee Valleys and eventually into the Mid-Atlantic. The initial system which spread wintry precipitation to sections of the Northeast is departing into the Canadian Maritime. While snow has ended across New England, gusty winds continue given the strength of the surface cyclone.
In its wake, a very brief lull in the pattern is noted with the next system currently advancing through the Middle Mississippi Valley. This clipper system will initially be rather moisture deprived which is the
typical nature of these systems. This should spread an area of 2 to 6 inches of snow to the Ohio Valley. As the upper trough amplifies across the lower Tennessee Valley on Sunday evening, a coastal low is forecast to develop which will significantly increase the moisture available to the storm. This will ultimately raise the snowfall totals across the Mid-Atlantic along with the southern half of New England. Currently, the WPC winter weather desk is expecting 4 to 8 inches over the Maryland Panhandle into southern Pennsylvania while a swath of 6 to 12 inches will be possible from New Jersey up to eastern Massachusetts. All amounts are through Tuesday morning with snow continuing to fall across the Upper
Mid-Atlantic and New England afterward. In addition to the heavy snow prospects, a tightening pressure gradient will lead to gusty winds which may bring blizzard conditions to sections of the affected area.
Over the Central U.S., expect well above normal temperatures to prevail across Northern Rockies along with the Great Plains region. This is in response to a persistent down-slope flow which will significant warm the surface temperatures east of the higher terrain. The current forecast anomalies suggest readings of 20 to 30 degrees above normal which would translate to highs nearing 70 across the Central High Plains on Monday.
Elsewhere in the nation, a secondary clipper system is expected to cross the Upper Great Lakes spreading light snowfall accumulations on Monday. Looking to the southwestern states, the earlier mentioned closed low will lift northward from the subtropical East Pacific. Enhanced moisture combined with strong vertical lift will spread a hefty batch of rainfall to the Desert Southwest on Monday and Tuesday. Widespread rainfall amounts of 0.25 to 0.50 inches are likely with heavier amounts in the local areas.