By AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Winter is wasting no time in playing catch up — or in some cases playing overachiever — in parts of the Midwest and Northeast. Less than a week after a historic snowfall in parts of the Midwest, a second winter storm is predicted to take aim at the region.
Unlike the last storm, a secondary storm may form and become an all-out nor’easter early next week. That would bring the potential for heavy snow to parts of the central Appalachians, mid-Atlantic and New England.
As AccuWeather Chief Broadcast Meteorologist Bernie Rayno advised, it’s time for people in cities like Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and Washington, D.C., to “buckle up” for some harsh winter weather. AccuWeather meteorologists began warning of the snow potential days ago.
The corridor from Des Moines, Iowa, to Chicago picked up a general 6-12 inches of snow with locally higher amounts from the storm this week. At this early stage, it appears road crews in those areas will likely be kept busy again with a similar snowfall in store from the next storm.
The storm on deck for this weekend has the potential to bring much heavier snow to the coastal mid-Atlantic and New England.
There is the likelihood for the storm to get a strong “second wind” as it swings through the Northeast with a great potential for heavy snow in when compared to the storm that hit on Tuesday.
AccuWeather’s forecast team warns that storm could evolve into a major, long-lasting nor’easter near the Atlantic coast where some areas may be pounded by accumulating snow and gusty winds that can produce blizzard conditions for multiple hours.
“We are confident that a strong secondary storm will form and affect the Northeast this time around,” Rayno said. “But the exact track and speed of strengthening of that storm will determine where the heaviest swath of snow ends up in relation to the coast and areas well inland.”
Another factor that is likely to contribute to substantial snowfall with this storm will be the duration of the storm. Snow of varying intensity may occur for two to three days in some locations, instead of the more typical eight to 12 hours that occurs with most winter storms.
Parts of New England will face storm impacts from Monday to early Wednesday.
Snow with this storm pair is likely to be dry and powdery in nature compared to a storm that smacked the East Coast in mid-December. That early winter storm dropped 40 inches of wet snow on the southern tier of New York state. The wet nature of that snow event led to very little blowing and drifting snow.
