Snow squalls, brisk conditions to start off spring in Northeast

 By Courtney Travis, AccuWeather senior meteorologist

Updated Feb. 28, 2021 3:58 PM EST

As meteorological spring is set to arrive on Monday, residents across the Northeast may be left wondering why the weather will not feel much like spring in the coming days.

A mixture of wet and wintry weather moved into the Northeast during the weekend.

Snow and sleet dotted the ground in parts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey on Saturday morning, but did not last long as temperatures rose above the freezing mark.

A steadier and heavier snowfall moved from eastern New York and up through New England through Saturday afternoon. Snow total reports of 2 inches or more stretched from north of Albany, New York, and northwestern Massachusetts up into central Maine.

After a reprieve from the wet weather for most Saturday night, another wave of rain moved into West Virginia, Maryland and southern Pennsylvania from the south early on Sunday morning.

On Sunday morning, rain was moving northeastward across Pennsylvania and New Jersey (AccuWeather).

In a few isolated locations, precipitation could start as a little snow, but little accumulation is expected outside of the Adirondacks in northern New York.

Elsewhere, the combination of rain and snowmelt with the push of warmer air is likely to bring flooding, particularly across parts of Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

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Behind Sunday's springlike rainfall, more wintry conditions are set to arrive on late Sunday night, just ahead of meteorological spring on Monday.

Cold air will follow the rain, allowing for a few snow showers in parts of northern Pennsylvania, New York and northern New England by early Monday morning. The cold air rushing into the region will also create windy conditions on Monday.

Helping to deliver the cold air will be a quick-moving area of snow pushing through the Great Lakes through Monday night.

"As this very cold air moves over the modestly warm lakes, heavier snow showers will develop downwind. Snow squalls will be possible late Monday afternoon and continuing into Monday evening, especially across Upstate New York," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Brett Rossio.

Snow squalls are sudden and intense bursts of snow and wind that can bring dangerous conditions for travelers very quickly.

"Some of the squalls this week will be intense enough to threaten whiteout conditions and drop visibility to near zero at times," added Rossio.

It is possible for a quick coating of snow to accumulate in some locations for a brief time. Road conditions will be slippery as well leading to possible travel delays.

Given the pattern and wind flow on Monday and Monday night, one major roadway that could be impacted is the New York Thruway. Interstates 80, 81 and 86 could also experience a burst of heavier snow.

Motorists, on highways or on secondary roads, will want to be hyper aware of their surroundings and watch for a drastic change in visibility and road conditions.

Snow showers, which are less likely to be as heavy, will have a farther reach, across parts of Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. In the majority of these areas, little accumulation is expected. However, some higher elevations, where it's cold enough, might see a quick coating, especially on grassy surfaces.

It is possible that a quick snow shower or flurry could reach parts of eastern Pennsylvania and northwestern New Jersey.

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Behind the snow showers and squalls, a shot of colder air that will first reach the Midwest is forecast to settle into the Northeast for Monday night and Tuesday.

Cities like Philadelphia and New York City, after having a couple days near the 50-degree mark, will be stuck in the 30s on Tuesday. Across New York state and New England, temperatures will hold in the 20s. For the beginning of March, temperatures of this level are as much as 10 to 15 degrees below normal.

Temperatures in most locations are forecast to rebound by Wednesday, returning to more normal conditions for early March. However, AccuWeather meteorologists are predicting another wave of colder air later in the week.

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