An incoming weather pattern will impact holiday travel plans for those in the Northeast, as slick conditions and a wintry mix will set the stage for a few fortunate areas to wake up to a snow-covered Christmas.
Published Dec. 23, 2021 9:38 AM EST | Updated Dec. 24, 2021 5:31 AM EST
Rapidly-moving storms and chilly conditions will arrive in the Northeast just in time for the holiday weekend, delivering the gift of a white Christmas to a few lucky areas, while slicking the roads for travelers in many other areas.
"We're going to be dealing with a very busy stretch here weather-wise in the East through the weekend and into early next week," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Carl Babinski.
Many of those roads are already in perilous condition following a storm that brought rain, wet snow and ice to the region Wednesday, producing slippery conditions for many during prime commute times and busy holiday travel.
Snow mainly accumulated across New Hampshire, New York and Maine around the middle of the week, piling up in the far north. Caribou, Maine, reported 9 inches of snow Wednesday night, while Van Buren had about a foot of snow on the ground.
While many might think this means the snow is over for a while, AccuWeather forecasters are watching another storm right on the tail of the last.
An Alberta clipper storm is bringing some snow and flurries as it passes across the Northeast into Friday morning. This storm has a history of producing snow, ice and dangerous travel through its journey across the Midwest. Just prior to daybreak on Thursday, a massive pileup unfolded amid wintry weather on Interstate 94 in Wisconsin, shutting down the highway before the busy morning commute.
"We felt pretty confident that most of the mid-Atlantic region will miss out on any meaningful precipitation with [this storm]," explained Babinski, adding that New York City received some light snow showers Thursday evening. "However, this system will probably bring a fresh coating to an inch of snow to the Catskills, parts of the Hudson Valley and the Berkshire Mountains in western Massachusetts into Friday morning before it heads out to sea."
Overnight Thursday, snowfall accumulations greater than an inch were reported across northeastern Pennsylvania, east-central New York and far western Massachusetts.
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Snow from this clipper arrived in cities like Toronto, Ontario, and Buffalo, New York, Thursday evening, moving east-southeastward into Syracuse, New York, and then Boston late Thursday night. Snow was expected to be light with this storm, so places like Toronto and Syracuse were expected to only receive an inch or two total (3-5 cm). Even Boston could have a coating of snow into early Friday morning.
Although the storm is not expected to make a big impact on road travel along the I-95 corridor, a few slippery spots can develop from upstate New York to interior New England into Friday morning. It only takes a small accumulation of snow or a glaze of ice on the roadways to make for dangerous driving conditions.
Forecasters recommend those traveling home for the holidays take great care on the roads and plan some extra time to make it to their destinations. This won't likely be the last the region sees of frozen weather.
"Once we're rid of that storm, it appears that a somewhat slower-moving feature will be spreading an area of precipitation into the Eastern region starting Friday night," said Babinski.
This is the storm that could bring freezing rain or sleet early on Christmas Day across portions of upstate New York and in western to central New England. Freezing rain could arrive in cities like Albany, New York, and Hartford, Connecticut, before sunrise on the holiday morning.
In Boston, ice could set in by dawn on Christmas, making for hazardous road conditions. Anyone driving out to see family early should be careful, particularly on bridges and overpasses, where there can be a trace to 0.05 of an inch of ice.
Freezing rain is also expected to continue throughout the day, mainly from Lake Ontario to southern New Hampshire. At its thickest, ice can accumulate up to 0.10 of an inch.
Areas farther north, like Vermont and the Adirondacks, are more likely to have accumulating snow. Snow is most likely to accumulate Saturday night into Sunday from portions of northern Vermont, including Burlington, to southern Maine, including Portland. However, not everywhere will have frozen precipitation.
"It will be another damp Saturday across the northern mid-Atlantic with some rain and drizzle," said AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok.
Light and steady rain is forecast for the New York City area Saturday, as well as in Pennsylvania, northern New Jersey and in southern New England.
"Any rain that lingers in New York or southeastern New England early on Christmas night should end long before daybreak on Sunday," said Babinski.
In this rain area, conditions could be quite warm for late December. In fact, highs could flirt with the 60-degree-Fahrenheit mark on Christmas Day in Washington, D.C., and Baltimore. Usually, high temperatures in those cities are in the upper 40s this time of year. New York City, which typically has temperatures topping out in the lower 40s for Christmas week, can have temperatures soaring to around 50 F the day after Christmas this year.
"With a fair amount of sun, we believe most temperatures should reach the upper 40s or even the 50s Sunday to wrap up the holiday weekend," said Babinski.
Looking ahead, additional systems are headed to the region early next week, but Babinski suggests the exact timing of these still needs to be "ironed out." While some scenarios present precipitation spreading east of the Appalachians by early Monday afternoon, other forms of guidance are slower.
Regardless, forecasters are fairly certain on one thing: temperatures are expected to remain above average for late in December, keeping heat bills low and frozen precipitation mainly confined to the northern tier.
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