Snowstorm to threaten mid-Atlantic, New England before major freeze-up at midweek

By Kyle Elliott, AccuWeather meteorologist

January 27, 2019, 7:06:06 PM EST

Before the worst Arctic outbreak so far this winter sweeps into the northeastern United States, a disruptive snowstorm is eyeing a large portion of the northeastern United States by midweek.

The snowstorm threat is being preceded by snow showers and heavier squalls pressing across the Northeast's interior to end the weekend.

After the snow showers depart the Northeast by Monday, the same storm system bringing heavy snow and travel disruptions to the Midwest into Monday will weaken as it tracks toward the eastern Great Lakes and northern mid-Atlantic by Monday night.

However, a strong cold front extending southward from the storm will penetrate the whole way to the central Gulf Coast.

It is along the tail end of this front that a second storm system may form later Monday night and strengthen as it tracks rapidly northeastward toward eastern New England by Tuesday night.

Latest indications continue to suggest that the storm will develop, but its exact track, intensity and potential interaction with the first system will determine how expansive heavy snow will be across the Northeast.

"At the time, AccuWeather meteorologists are concerned for rain to change to 1-3 inches of snow around Washington, D.C., and Baltimore Tuesday evening with the snowstorm ramping up as it spreads over eastern New York and northern and western New England," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski said.

It is in western Massachusetts and much of Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine that at least 6 to 12 inches of snow appears most likely. Similar totals are anticipated in the Adirondack Mountains of New York.

"A stronger storm can push the AccuWeather Local StormMax™ to 18 inches in these areas," Pydynowski said. "In this scenario, snow totals can exceed 6 inches in northeastern Pennsylvania."

"While the snow will be a boon to the ski industry, travel can become extremely slow and difficult in these areas," she added.

"Blizzard conditions may even develop in northern New England if the storm strengthens enough," according to AccuWeather Chief Video Meteorologist Bernie Rayno.

Snow will first spread into the central Appalachians and upstate New York later Monday night into Tuesday.

The heaviest snow will wait until Tuesday night before reaching New England but should depart by Wednesday afternoon.

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In the Interstate-95 cities from Boston to New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., a brief spike in temperatures is expected to cause precipitation to start as rain before a changeover to snow Tuesday evening and night.

"Travel can deteriorate around Washington, D.C., and Baltimore during the Tuesday evening commute as the rain changes to snow," Pydynowski said. "Roads can turn from wet to slushy and icy during that time as temperatures plunge to and below freezing."

If the cold air catches up to the back edge of the rain quickly, then a couple inches of snow can turn areas from Philadelphia to New York City and Boston into a skating rink by Wednesday morning.

Residents may only have a short window to clear any slush as the harshest Arctic outbreak this winter freezes everything solid by Wednesday morning.

Depending on the amount of snowfall, many schools may be forced to delay start times or even close on Wednesday.

Even if only a small amount of snow falls, pedestrians will have to use extra caution in parking lots and on sidewalks as any snow, slush or wet spots quickly turn to ice Wednesday morning.

Motorists traveling through the storm will likely face major delays and may need to allot several extra hours to reach their travel destinations.

Lengthy airport delays may not only be felt imminently in many of the major cities of the I-95 corridor, but also throughout a large portion of the country.

As the system intensifies in New England, gusty winds will both accompany and follow the snowstorm and lead to localized whiteouts, ground blizzards and power outages.

It may take a long time for any snow that falls from the system to melt as AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures dip to dangerously low levels by the middle of the week, producing a whole new array of hazards.

Download the free AccuWeather app to see how much snow is expected to fall in your community.

Winter storms create a unique set of challenges in the Northeast compared to other areas of the country. Great minds often come together to face the challenge. AccuWeather Meteorologist Dave Dombek joins WABC New York's Chief Meteorologist, Lee Goldberg to talk about their years of collaboration taking on the big storms.