3:00 PM | **Quite an amazing winter scene across the nation; some snow in the I-95 corridor overnight**
Paul Dorian
Discussion
An amazing winter scene throughout much of the nation today and it can be visualized rather well by looking at the latest NOAA “weather warnings” map (above). Southern states from Texas to Virginia currently are under “winter storm watches and warnings (pink, dark blue)” with significant ice and snow expected over the next 6-12 hours or so. Northern states from North Dakota to New York have “wind chill warnings and advisories (light blue, gray)” due to the extreme cold and strong winds which are combining to generate wind chill values as low as 40 degrees below zero. Not to be out-done, the western states from Montana-to-Colorado-to-California currently are under numerous “winter storm watches and warnings” as well.
It looks like the southern storm will affect the I-95 corridor in the overnight hours (~10pm to 4am) from DC-to-Philly-to-NYC as snow should push rather far to the north and west of the storm center which will head off the Southeast US coast later tonight. A positive factor for snowfall tonight is the fact that there will be an impressive upper level jet streak in the Mid-Atlantic region during the overnight hours which will lead to significant upward motion. On the other hand, an inhibiting factor to the potential snowfall is the extremely dry air mass currently in place that will initially cause the snow to evaporate before reaching the ground.
Accumulations in and around the big cities of DC, Philly and NYC should be on the order of a coating to a couple of inches with the lesser amounts to the north and west and the higher amounts to the south and east. Heavy snow accumulations are likely closer to the storm center - and closer to the coastline - from the southern part of the Delmarva Peninsula to the Jersey Shore where two - to as much as six - inches can fall by morning. Once the storm passes by early tomorrow, we’ll just be left with the bitter cold air for another day or so – and, of course, some new snowfall.