Weekend nor’easter could bring a foot of snow to NYC, more in New England
A storm forming over the Mid-Atlantic could wallop New York City with up to 1 foot of snow this weekend, with more possible in New England, forecasters said Wednesday.
The system has all the makings of a major — and nasty — nor’easter. The only question is where that snow will fall, AccuWeather senior meteorologist Paul Walker told the Daily News.
“We’re still waiting to see where the storm forms and what its track is going to be,” Walker said. “There is still some uncertainty as far as how it will affect the Eastern Seaboard up into New England.”
More definitive information will come Thursday into Friday morning as the system takes shape, he said. But the consensus is that it has “blockbuster potential,” as CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller put it.
“Model guidance for the most recent couple of cycles continues to show a rapidly deepening [bomb] cyclone in the western Atlantic over the weekend, but continues to waffle somewhat with its exact track, and the relatively fine-scale wobbles can cause notably different weather impacts,” the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center said.
“We do know that there’s going to be a cold front that comes in on Friday,” Walker said, which will bring light snow or flurries on Friday afternoon that “could lead to some slippery spots” during the evening commute.
Walker forecast 6 to 12 inches of snow dumped in New York City on Friday into Saturday, with higher amounts on eastern Long Island and lesser accumulation north and west of the city. Some parts of New England could see more than 1 foot of snow, even 18 inches, he added.
Earlier in the week it was unclear whether the storm would turn into snow or rain, depending on how far east it formed, he said.
“Now it looks like the storm track is going to be far enough east that it’s going to be all snow,” he said, but “we still don’t know where the heaviest snow will be.”
A lot remains unknown, as the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center cautioned.
“Winter storms (such as the upcoming nor’easter) can create numerous forecasting challenges,” the NWS said in a Facebook statement.
There’s the potential for this to be a historic storm, at least across New England, Walker said.
“Try to get all the traveling that you have to do done before late Friday night,” Walker advised. “Saturday is probably what the worst will be.”
