2:30 PM | Snow brushes the I-95 corridor late tonight/early Thursday; early week significant storm threat continues
Paul Dorian
Discussion
A strong cold front passed through the region on Tuesday and a secondary cold front is sliding through the area right now and it could generate a snow shower or two during the evening hours. This second shot of cold air will help to intensify low pressure off the Mid-Atlantic coast later tonight and, as the low intensifies, it’ll brush the I-95 corridor from DC-to-Philly-to-NYC with snow showers late tonight and tomorrow morning. While there can be some slick spots for the morning commute with a coating or so of snow along and west of I-95, the best chance for an inch or two will likely be on the east side of I-95 in places like coastal Delmarva, coastal New Jersey, New York City, Long Island and Boston.
Looking ahead, a more significant coastal storm threat continues for early next week (Sunday night/Monday) in the Mid-Atlantic region. The latest model runs continue their recent theme with a primary low pressure system that heads into the Ohio Valley early next week and then transfers its energy to a developing coastal low. This transfer of energy occurs rather late in the game with the latest GFS model run compared to some of the other models and, given the (“omega”) blocking pattern expected across Canada at this time, it would not be too surprising to see a different handling of the primary low in subsequent GFS model runs. Last night’s 00Z Euro run, for example, moved the primary low no farther north than West Virginia whereas this latest 12Z GFS run places the low as far north as northwest Pennsylvania early next week before the transfer of energy takes place – an important difference with respect to potential snowfall in parts of the Mid-Atlantic given the marginally cold conditions expected.
Stay tuned on this one.