Storm to produce blizzard conditions in parts of New England, graze mid-Atlantic coast later this week
A major storm will track close enough to the East Coast of the United States to bring everything from snow and ice to blizzard conditions and frigid winds later this week.
The storm will affect areas from Florida to Maine and Atlantic Canada.
Snow and a wintry mix are in store along the southeastern coast of the U.S. from late Tuesday night through Wednesday night.
In the Northeast, impact from snow and wind, such as slippery travel and airline disruptions, will spread northward Wednesday night through Thursday night.
From Thursday to Friday, the storm is likely to undergo rapid strengthening, referred to as bombogenesis.
AccuWeather meteorologists believe the heaviest snow and strongest winds from the storm will occur in Maine and New Brunswick, Canada, where a blizzard is forecast to unfold.
A blizzard is a storm that produces snow or blowing snow with winds in excess of 35 mph and a visibility of one-quarter of a mile or less for at least three consecutive hours.
There is the potential for not only a foot (30 cm) or more of snow to fall, in Maine and New Brunswick, but also the risk of hurricane-force gusts and frigid air at the same time.
From eastern New England to Atlantic Canada, sporadic power outages are likely with the risk of regional power outages. Tremendous blowing and drifting snow is likely and some communities may be isolated for several days in the wake of the storm.
The storm is likely to track close enough to the coast to throw snow on the area from eastern Virginia and the Delmarva Peninsula to New Jersey, eastern New York and western New England. Blustery conditions will develop during the snowfall or shortly thereafter.
The combination of wind and moderate snowfall is likely to bring blizzard conditions at times to central New England and part of Long Island, New York.
Whether a few flakes of snow or a debilitating snowstorm occurs in this western fringe will depend on the exact track of the storm and how quickly moisture is thrown westward as the storm strengthens.
In the coastal states from Virginia to Maine, areas farthest to the east are likely to have the greatest amount of snow from the storm.
No snow is likely to fall from the mountains of central New York to the southern Appalachians from the Atlantic storm later this week.
Little to no snow may fall west of Philadelphia, including the Baltimore and Washington, D.C., areas.
Motorists and pedestrians should expect at least some blowing and drifting snow as far west as the Hudson Valley of New York, much of New Jersey, the Delmarva Peninsula and even a few areas just inland of the coast in the Southeast states.
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Flurries may occur over the central Appalachians, due to a fresh injection of arctic air arriving, while lake-effect snow is forecast to ramp up once again near the Great Lakes.
As the storm strengthens, winds will increase hundreds of miles away from the center of the circulation beginning Wednesday night.
Winds alone are likely to become strong enough to trigger airline delays in the major hubs of the Northeast, from Washington, D.C. to Philadelphia, New York City and Boston from Thursday to Friday.
Blustery and cold conditions are in store as far south as Florida, the Bahamas and Cuba.
The strong winds and arctic air will add to the frigid weather pattern.
Seas will build to dangerous levels for small craft off the mid-Atlantic, New England and southeastern Canada coasts.
