Winter storms to spread snow, ice across portions of Midwest, Northeast early next week

By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist

January 05, 2019, 10:53:48 AM EST

From Sunday evening to Wednesday of next week, a double-barreled storm will spread a swath of snow and ice across portions of the Midwest and Northeast.

At this time, a swath of moderate to heavy snow is foreseen along the northern tier of the Midwest, northern New York state and northern New England as the storms move along.

"The storms have the potential to bring 4-8 inches of snow and locally higher amounts to part of the Upper Midwest," according to AccuWeather Storm Warning Meteorologist Richard Schraeger.

"It's conceivable that the Adirondacks of northern New York state and the mountains of northern New England pick up of a foot of snow from this setup from Monday night to Tuesday," according to AccuWeather Winter Weather Expert Brian Wimer.

Download the free AccuWeather app to monitor the forecast this weekend as the situation unfolds.

First storm to impact Midwest as the new week unfolds

The first of the two storms will cause snow to break out across part of northeastern North Dakota, central and northern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan during Sunday evening and Sunday night.

Airline delays related to deicing operations are likely Sunday night in Minneapolis.

An area of freezing rain, sleet, snow and plain rain will develop just south of the snow area over southeastern Minnesota and central Wisconsin around the same time.

Motorists heading home from extended holiday ventures along the Interstate 94 corridor may encounter slippery and dangerous travel conditions Sunday night. An early start on Sunday morning may help to avoid the messy conditions that are due to unfold toward dark.

A swath of plain rain is forecast to extend from southern Wisconsin to Missouri during Sunday night. This includes Chicago, while ice or a wintry may may occur near Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin.

The snow and icy mix will spread across the Lower Peninsula of Michigan late Sunday night.

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The area of rain is then expected to progress eastward across the lower Great Lakes region to the Ohio Valley on Monday. Much lesser, spotty showers are forecast farther south over the lower Mississippi Valley.

During Monday, snow is forecast to fall from the northern part of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan through central Ontario, while a wintry mix that includes some ice may reach farther south to Detroit and Lansing, Michigan.

Airline passengers should expect delays for flights originating from or connecting with Detroit on Monday.

First storm to swing across northeastern US late Monday to Tuesday

From late Monday afternoon to Tuesday, the first storm will spread snow across northern and east-central New York state to central and northern New England.

With a few exceptions, most of the snow will fall near and north of I-88 in eastern New York state and near and north of I-90 in New England.

Where sleet and rain do not mix in, there is the potential for a heavy snowfall over parts of northern New York state, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, according to Wimer.

An area of a mix of snow, ice and rain is forecast from southwestern New York state and northern Pennsylvania to the northern suburbs of New York City and southern New England during the same time frame.

Motorists venturing along parts of I-80 in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and I-84 in Connecticut can expect slippery conditions.

South of this zone, rain showers are store from southern Pennsylvania, central New Jersey and New York City, southward to the southern Appalachians and the Chesapeake Bay region during Monday afternoon and night.

However, very little to no rain may reach the Southeast corner of the nation.

Sneaky second storm may deliver snow much farther south than the first

The second part of the storm duo is forecast to roll through as colder air invades the Midwest and Northeast.

"This second storm is likely to bring flurries and heavier snow squalls," according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Jake Sojda.

Lower temperatures associated with the second storm may lead to more extensive slippery and snow-covered conditions much farther south than the first storm. Where blinding squalls pass over interstate highways and quickly cover the road surface, dangerous conditions for motorists may unfold.

The timing for the snow showers accompanied by a quick temperature drop will extend from the northern Plains to the western Great Lakes region during Monday night, to the central Great Lakes on Tuesday and then the eastern Great Lakes, central Appalachians and coastal Northeast during Tuesday night.

The magnitude of the snow showers and their ability to bring an accumulation will depend on how vigorous the second storm is and how far south it tracks.

It is not out of the question that a snow shower reaches as far to the south as Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C., by Wednesday morning.

The burst of wintry conditions with snow showers is likely to last through Wednesday from the Great Lakes to the coastal Northeast.

Join Everything Under the Sun’s host Regina Miller as she discussed the Blizzard of 1996 with two AccuWeather Expert Meteorologists, Dave Dombek and Paul Pastelok, who were on hand during that devastating storm. Learn how forecasts were prepared back then and how technology has changed over the years, allowing for more accurate forecasts and dissemination of our weather forecasts and warnings.

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