This week’s winter storm is shaping up to be a travel nightmare for
Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving and the busiest travel day of the
year.
A coating to several inches of snow could accumulate along
the I-95 corridor on Wednesday. While temperatures have been
unseasonably warm early this week, snow is still likely to accumulate
along coastal interstates, especially during periods of heavy snowfall.
Visibility
is expected to drop below half a mile beginning on Wednesday morning as
the storm moves northeast from Northern Virginia to southern New
England. At times, snowfall rates could reach two inches per hour,
especially in the inland areas away from the warm coast, making travel
challenging, even on the interstates.
Related: Tips for Thanksgiving fliers
Airport delays and possibly cancellations are likely up and down the East Coast due to Wednesday’s storm.
Boston
Precipitation
will begin as rain in Massachusetts early Wednesday morning but won’t
really get cranking until the early afternoon. Very soon after the storm
begins, rain will turn over to snow in inland Massachusetts. Boston
will see snow mix in through the afternoon hours, before finally turning
to all snow as the temperature along the coast drops to around the
freezing mark in the evening. The heaviest snow is expected
Wednesday afternoon and early evening.
The storm will begin to
wane on Monday night, and the worst will have cleared out of
Massachusetts by Thursday morning, though light flurries could linger
through Thanksgiving Day.
Potential accumulations vary across
Massachusetts. As much as 16 inches of snow could end up falling inland,
while toward the coast the accumulation will drop to 1 to 3 inches,
where it likely won’t be below freezing early enough for larger snow
totals. In Boston itself, expect accumulations around 3 to 6 inches.
However, the National Weather Service in Boston is giving the city about
a 50 percent chance of seeing snow accumulation greater than 6 inches.
A winter storm warning is in effect for western Massachusetts for accumulations up to 16 inches, which is on the high end of the expected totals. A winter storm watch
is in effect for eastern Massachusetts north of Brockton — Cape Cod
will see no snow accumulation. The watch includes Boston for potential
snow accumulations of 4 to 6 inches.
In addition to the winter
storm watches and warnings, a high-wind watch has been issued for
coastal Plymouth County, Cape Cod and the islands around Cape Cod for
sustained winds of 25 to 35 mph, with gusts up to 60 mph on Wednesday.
Whom to follow: Eric Fisher covers Boston area weather for WBZ.
New York City area
The
storm begins in the NYC area around daybreak on Wednesday.
Precipitation will start as rain and quickly change over to snow away
from the coast. It will take longer for this transition to happen near
the water, an in particular in New York City itself. However, as the
temperature drops in the city, snow will gradually mix in before
changing to all snow in the evening. The storm will begin to decrease in
intensity after 7 p.m. on Wednesday, and will have cleared out of the
area by Thursday morning.
Again, accumulations forecasts climb
rapidly as you move west, away from the coast. Inland parts of the area
are looking at around 6 to 8 inches of snow, while the boroughs will see
anywhere from 4 to 8 inches. In general, the further south and east you
are, the less snow you will accumulate (e.g. Brooklyn will probably see
lower snow totals than the Bronx). Manhattan is likely looking at up to
4 inches.
A winter storm watch
is in effect for much of the New York city area, though it does not
extend onto Long Island beyond northern Nassau County. The watch is in
effect from Wednesday morning through Thursday morning for snow
accumulations of 4 to 8 inches. (Again, the farther east and south you
are, the more likely it is you’ll see totals on the lower end of that
range.)
Farther inland, a winter storm warning is in effect for
portions of east central New York, extending east through inland
portions of Connecticut and Rhode Island for accumulations of 6 to 16
inches of snow. The Weather Service also warns of snowfall rates up to
two inches per hour, which will severely reduce visibility on the roads.
Whom to follow: Try @nymetrowx, or the meteorologists at ABC — @ginger_zee and @robmarciano. They are technically national meteorologists, but they are located in New York, so they will probably have some good info.
Philadelphia
Precipitation
will begin as rain in the Philadelphia area early on Wednesday morning
and last through the midafternoon, at which point rain will turn into
snow. Farther inland in Pennsylvania and inland New Jersey, the snow
will mix in earlier in the day, possibly in the late morning.
The
worst of the storm will occur in the early afternoon hours, but will
begin to wane in intensity by the early evening, and move out of the
area overnight.
Snow accumulation is expected to be slightly less
in the Philadelphia area than the cities up north — as much as 2 to
3 inches is forecast to accumulate around the city.
Farther inland in southeastern Pennsylvania and northwestern New Jersey, the snow totals will grow to 6 to 8 inches.
On
Tuesday, the National Weather Service in Mount Holly suggested that
travelers consider altering their plans based on the storm timing.
“Suggest travel into eastern Pennsylvania and northwest New Jersey be
completed no later than 7 a.m. on Wednesday, or wait until after 7 p.m.
Wednesday night,” they write (though I am paraphrasing). “It’s that
12-hour window that is going to become a significant travel problem,
especially in the hilly areas.”
A winter storm warning is in
effect for much of eastern Pennsylvania, including Philadelphia, and
northwestern New Jersey starting Wednesday morning and lasting through
Wednesday night. Snow will be wet in the city and along I-95, though the
snow could still be hazardous on the roadways and, at the very least,
will cause travel delays. The Weather Service also warns of the
possibility that wet, heavy snow could bring down some tree limbs, which
could lead to a few power outages.
Whom to follow: Gary Szatkowski of the Mount Holly National Weather Service office.
Washington, D.C.-Baltimore
Rain
begins in the D.C.-Baltimore region in the early morning hours, between
2 and 5 a.m. Temperatures are expected to remain above the freezing
point for most of the day in the immediate metro areas and east of I-95,
though rain will have changed over to snow by late morning or so.
In
D.C. and Baltimore, accumulations are likely to reach a coating to
2 inches. Again, northwest will be higher, southeast will be lower.
Update at 11:00 a.m.: The winter storm watch has been upgraded to a warning
for northern Virginia and western Maryland for accumulations of 3 to 6
inches below elevations of 1,500 feet, and 6 to 10 inches above 1,500
feet. A winter weather advisory has been issued for counties west of I-95.
The
areas likely to see the most substantial snow and hazardous driving
conditions are from northern Montgomery County through eastern Loudoun
and northern Fauquier County and to the north and west. The worst traveling time will be from midmorning to midafternoon,
when snowfall could reduce visibility on the roads. Roads will also
become slippery as the snow begins to stick in the higher elevations. In
particular, the Weather Service calls out interstates 81, 70, 83, 66
and 64 as roads on which to use extreme caution.
Power outages are possible in areas where heavy snow could bring down tree limbs.
The worst of the storm should be over by the evening hours.
You can follow all of our winter storm updates here on the blog, or on Twitter.
Jason Samenow contributed to this post.
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