Winter Storm Orlena Winding Down Over the Northeast With Snow, Gusty Winds

 weather.com meteorologists

Published: February 2, 2021

Winter Storm Orlena will wind down over the Northeast today after hammering the region with heavy snow and strong winds on Monday.

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Here's a look at where the storm is now followed by the forecast for what's to come.

Happening Now

Orlena's snow extends from New England and upstate New York to parts of the mid-Atlantic states and the Appalachians.

Current Radar

Parts of three states in the Northeast have picked up more than two feet of snow in the storm, including eastern Pennsylvania, northern New Jersey and southeast New York. The storm's maximum snow total is 31 inches in Nazareth, Pennsylvania.

New York City's Central Park had a storm total of 17.2 inches late Sunday through early Tuesday. That makes it the 16th heaviest snowstorm on record there dating to 1869.

Allentown, Pennsylvania, had its second-heaviest snowstorm with 26.9 inches.

Snowfall rates as high as 3 inches per hour were observed during the height of the storm on Monday.

(MORE: Orlena Severely Impacts Travel in the Northeast)

Forecast

Lingering snowfall is expected on Groundhog Day from New England southward to New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware and Washington, D.C.

The greatest additional accumulations will be in northern New England. Most other areas will see lighter snow showers that could produce small accumulations.

Additional Snowfall Forecast

Some snow showers can't be ruled out in the Appalachians.

Snow showers could linger into Tuesday night from the New York Tri-state area into New England.

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Strong north to northwest winds will also continue over the Northeast today.

Current Winds

Minor additional coastal flooding is expected with the late Tuesday morning high tide from the Jersey Shore into Delaware.

Parts of eastern New England could see minor additional coastal flooding with the high tide on Tuesday as well.

Coastal flooding inundated some roads with the Monday late morning high tide near Atlantic City, Belmar, Manasquan and Wildwood, New Jersey; and also at Howard Beach, New York.

Roads were inundated by coastal flooding early Tuesday morning in parts of eastern Massachusetts, including around Scituate.

Orlena's History

Orlena began its cross-country journey in California last week and then tracked into the Midwest over the weekend.

It wrung out feet of snow in California's Sierra Nevada and other parts of the West. For full details, click here.

In the Midwest, Chicago's O'Hare airport picked up 10.8 inches of snowfall from Saturday into Sunday. Parts of the Milwaukee metro area saw 8 to 10 inches of snow.

Snowfall pushed as far east as the mid-Atlantic states on Sunday. The Washington, D.C. and Baltimore metro areas both picked up a few inches of snow.

Below is a general look at the estimated snowfall that Orlena has produced since Saturday, followed by a list of the top totals by state in the Midwest.

Estimated Snowfall

Midwest Top Snow Totals

Illinois: 12.9 inches in Romeoville

Indiana: 11.5 inches near Valparaiso

Iowa: 8.5 inches near Midway

Michigan: 3.8 inches in Sturgis

Minnesota: 2.5 inches in Preston

Ohio: 8.7 inches near Fredericktown

Wisconsin: 13.5 inches in Racine

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.