Weather Outside Your Window: Northeastern US motorists face risk of being stranded as blizzard to hit interior hard

By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
January 19, 2019, 4:40:26 PM EST

For the latest information on the storm's impacts as it sweeps from the Midwest to the Northeast, please visit this news story.

A storm with feet of snow, blizzard conditions, a significant build-up of ice, tree-breaking winds and plunging temperatures threatens to close roads, cause flight cancellations and disrupt daily activities over a large part of the northeastern United States this weekend.

The storm is not likely to last more than 18-24 hours anywhere, but is hitting hard and fast. The storm will progress quickly from west to east across the region into Saturday night.

A state of emergency, along with travel restrictions, has been declared for Pennsylvania by Gov. Tom Wolf and for New Jersey by Gov. Phil Murphy for the storm. Travel restrictions are also in place across New York state.

The storm will end from west to east from Saturday night to Sunday evening although bands of lake-effect snow will continue off lakes Erie and Ontario into Monday.

While the storm will occur completely during the extended Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, some schools that are not closed on Monday may be forced to do so due to the prevailing dangerous cold, blowing and drifting snow and icy road conditions. Participants in the Women's March 2019 may have difficulties traveling from activities due to the storm.

Crews may struggle to get all roads free of snow by Tuesday in the hard-hit snow and ice locations. In some areas, conditions may still be unsafe for school buses and students to be outdoors.

Swath of heavy snow, blizzard conditions

Where sleet and freezing rain do not mix in, from northeastern Ohio through northern Pennsylvania, western, central and northern New York state and western and northern New England, at least a foot of snow is forecast with local amounts to 18, 24 and even 36 inches can pile up.

An AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 40 inches is anticipated over the mountains of northern New England.

"The snow is likely to fall at the rate of 2-3 inches per hour and may do so soon after the storm begins to nearly its conclusion," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski.

This rapid accumulation will put motorists at risk for becoming stranded during the storm.

"Unnecessary travel should be avoided," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Bernie Rayno.

As winds increase during and after the storm, the dry, powdery nature of the snow over much of the swath will be subject to extensive blowing and drifting by strengthening winds. Blizzard conditions will evolve.

Roads cleared of accumulating snow during the storm may become blocked again due to extensive drifting snow in the storm's wake through Monday.

Drifts of 4-10 feet can occur in open areas of some roads and may require special equipment to remove.

Ice to cause power outages

Farther south, from southern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, southeastern New York state, southern New England and the immediate coast of eastern New England, the storm will begin as snow but transition to sleet and freezing rain.

In part of this wintry and icy mix area, a change to plain rain can occur at the height of the storm. This includes along the I-95 corridor from Philadelphia to New York City to Boston.

There is concern that a substantial amount of ice may accrue from the Laurel Mountains of Pennsylvania to northeastern Pennsylvania, New York's Hudson Valley, western and northern Massachusetts, southeastern New Hampshire and southern Maine.

This includes Scranton, Pennsylvania; Poughkeepsie, New York; Springfield, Massachusetts; and Portsmouth, New Hampshire,

Where freezing rain becomes the primary form of precipitation for a number of hours, the weight is likely to break tree limbs and cause power outages.

Power outages can occur not only where temperatures remain below freezing with all snow but also where the temperature wanders above freezing for a time, and increasing winds put a strain on limbs that are still weighed down with snow and ice.

Powerful winds as storm strengthens, moves away

Winds are forecast to increase as the storm progresses Sunday and remain strong in the storm's wake into Monday. Gusts between 35 and 50 mph will be common.

In some cases, gusts may reach 60 mph along the coast of southeastern Massachusetts and Downeast Maine.

Urban and coastal flooding

Enough rain may fall to cause urban flooding in parts of Virginia, Delaware, central and southeastern Maryland, New Jersey, Long Island, New York City and southeastern New England.

A brief period of coastal flooding can occur.

"With the super blood wolf moon on Sunday and the highest tide levels typically a couple of days either side of the full moon, the flow of air around the storm is likely to produce above-normal tides, especially along the upper mid-Atlantic coast during Saturday night and the New England coast from Saturday night to Sunday," according to AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Elliot Abrams.

Freeze-up, dangerous cold to follow storm

While temperatures are forecast to trend upward along the coast and in parts of the central Appalachians into Saturday evening, temperatures will rapidly fall later Saturday night through Sunday night.

In some cases, temperatures may plummet 40 degrees Fahrenheit from their highest levels to their lowest levels.

Wet and slushy areas will freeze. Any wet snow and ice will become difficult and perhaps impossible to remove. Ice ruts may form. The conditions will be dangerous for pedestrians and vehicular traffic on some secondary roads and city streets.

"There can be an extended period of dangerously low and subzero AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures in thewake of the storm," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski.

The frigid weather will be painful for fans and participants in the NFL playoff game at Kansas City, Missouri, between the Chiefs and New England Patriots on Sunday.

Download the free AccuWeather app to see how much snow and cold air will be coming to your area.

How can you stay healthy this winter season? Tune in to find out! Join host Regina Miller and her guest Dr. Anthony Ng, Senior Physician Executive at Northern Light Acadia Hospital and Chief of Psychiatry at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center as they discuss Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) as a type of depression that's related to changes in seasons. Also, Staff Education Coordinator for Centre LifeLink EMS, Frank Cianfrani discusses cardiac and respiratory care as it relates to winter activities and provides suggestions on how to stay safe this winter.

Michael Pannoni

It looks like the subtropical high pressure won out in terms of steering this storm just a little further north (~50 miles compared to 24-48 hours ago). That difference means that Pittsburgh and Boston is only getting a glancing blow out of it, and Philadelphia/NYC are seeing for the most part just a rainstorm. The biggest worry to those who aren't getting wintry precip is the winds following storm that could knock out power to some (even if it dries out the rain before it gets cold enough), and with the major cold front with it, could spell a lot more problems than those who weren't paying attention. That's why its important to have a backup plan this time of year as I lost power for three days last March just due to winds, and even though it wasn't terribly cold, subzero wind chills coming tomorrow night can be dangerous.

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Anders Updale

I just hope that some how some NYC gets a snowstorm not constant rain the rest of this Winter!

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William Smith

Anders Updale , I know,we have had no snow (accumulative anyway),zip,nada,zilch,since that surprise snowstorm back in mid-November, 5 weeks before the official start of winter. Looking at the long-range forecast,we could be going into February with no measureable snowfall since mid-November and therefore none for the entire winter so far going into Ground Hog's Day on February 2.There have been winters before where this happened (no snow into February), so it's too early to be thinking snowless winter,but it's been exactly that so far, though usually when we do get those freakishly early snowstorms we do tend to have below average snowfall for later that winter,from what I've observed over the years,so it has happened before,but no snow from Dec. 21 to March 22, that is virtually unheard-of around here.

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Don Shannon

I’m in Butler County PA and this forecast is terrible. There is less snow on the ground now than before the storm. I’m in Chicora PA.

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Margie Mathieu Tankersley

We're getting some extremely high winds here in Justin TX...heard some thunder last night with bouts of rain...but the wind is the worst. Would be nice to get some snow here...but no chance of that happening except for in the panhandle maybe. It turns to rain before it hits us. Stay safe everyone and bundle up.

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Wendy Gilson

They say philly only rain maker no snow, but never know it could change fast. The snow and ice one major problem, but cold temp dipping into teens is something to be worried about, and making sure have plenty of food
on hand.

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Jon Zipp

The article is 8 hours old, the graphics aren't current, so the information is useless. In emergencies, that approach is unacceptable.

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Hobie Fisher

Am an over the road truck driver,not looking forward to it,but best i can do is stock up on food an water in case i get stranded. 37yrs accident free. Plan on keeping it thst way...gods speed

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