As the storm intensifies somewhere along the mid-Atlantic or Northeast coast later Wednesday into Thursday, a swath of particularly heavy snow is likely to develop. Strong winds will also develop and could accompany heavy snow creating localized blizzard conditions.
AccuWeather Global Weather Center – December 14, 2020 – As the energy from a powerful storm system that slammed the West Coast over the weekend slides east over the upcoming week, it will become responsible for the next major winter storm for the United States. This time, it looks poised to strike much of the East Coast, bringing a large swath of drenching rain, deep snow and perhaps even a thick glaze of ice for some.
The finer details are still in limbo, but forecasters are confident that a large and highly impactful winter storm will impact the East during the middle part of the upcoming week.
A quick-hitting storm system racing off of the East Coast Monday will help to set the stage initially, depositing cold air across much of the East for the early part of the week.
“As upper-level energy moves from the Rockies into the East Monday and Tuesday, an area of low pressure will begin to take shape across the southern Plains and Southeast,” explained AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Tyler Roys.
“This storm system will then turn northeastward and track somewhere near the East Coast, tapping into the cold air that will be available to create a winter wonderland for some.”
Forecasters say confidence in the exact track of the storm system is still low, and that this will have a large impact on who exactly sees the worst conditions.
“As the storm system forms in the South, a chilly rain will break out along the central Gulf Coast and lower Mississippi Valley later Tuesday and Tuesday night,” said AccuWeather Meteorologist Niki LoBiondo.
“Once it starts moving north, it will meet colder air, and more wintry precipitation will begin to take over with the potential for significant ice and snow across a large portion of the East.”
The potential for ice will come first across the southern and central Appalachians, as well as interior portions of the Carolinas and Virginia late Tuesday night into Wednesday.
“East winds around high pressure to the north will bank up a shallow layer of cold air in and against the eastern slopes of the Appalachians,” LoBiondo explained. “This will create a favorable setup for the formation of sleet and freezing rain as the storm system moves north.”
Significant ice accumulations are possible where conditions become the most favorable for prolonged ice, which can lead to downed trees and power lines as they will be weighed down by ice. Even in areas that only see minor ice accumulations, travel could become treacherous for a time. Even a thin layer of ice on roads can cause big problems. Interstates 40, 77 and 81 could all see a time of treacherous travel.
As the storm shifts farther north, cold air will be more entrenched, and ice will become snow.
“There is the potential for a large swath for at least some accumulating snow all the way from the Ohio Valley and eastern Great Lakes, through the mid-Atlantic and New England,” Roys said.
As the storm intensifies somewhere along the mid-Atlantic or Northeast coast later Wednesday into Thursday, a swath of particularly heavy snow is likely to develop. Strong winds will also develop and could accompany heavy snow creating localized blizzard conditions.
