Much colder air moved into the region on Thursday and it’ll stay well below normal today as we close out the work week, but this is nothing compared to what is coming this weekend. Another outbreak of Arctic air will arrive later tonight and this blast will produce some of the lowest temperatures seen in these parts in a long, long time during the upcoming weekend. In addition, this Arctic frontal passage will be accompanied by snow showers and possible heavy snow squalls and perhaps even a period of steady snow. Quick accumulations are likely tonight on the order of a coating to an inch or two given the cold ground-level conditions.
Temperatures this weekend are likely to primarily hold at or below twenty degrees for highs and low temperatures by early Sunday morning will drop to single digits in the DC metro region. Wind chills will reach dangerous levels of 15 to 25 degrees below zero later tomorrow into Sunday as winds gusting to 40 mph join up with the extreme cold. Elsewhere in the Northeast US, New York City could drop to 0 degrees by early Sunday and if they do, it would be the first time there since late January 1994 – Philly dropped to 1 above during that same outbreak in 1994. Boston and Providence - aided by some snow decent cover - could approach their all-time low temperature records by Sunday morning.
After the brutally cold weekend, clouds will thicken up quickly on Monday, President’s Day, and there is likely to be some light snow breaking out during the day. A significant storm will organize near Georgia later Monday and then take an inland track on Tuesday up through the eastern states. The light snow on Monday is likely to become heavier for awhile later in the day and early Monday night before it transitions to ice and then to rain on Tuesday. It is possible, however, that even with a changeover to plain rain by Tuesday, there is a significant buildup of snow and/or ice during the front end of the storm; especially, in the suburbs to the north and west. Stay tuned on this one.
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Much colder air moved into the region last night and it’ll stay well below normal right through the day on Friday, but this is nothing compared to what is coming this weekend. Snow showers can break out at any time this afternoon and early evening and anyone of these can produce a quick coating of snow. Another outbreak of Arctic air will arrive tomorrow night into early Saturday and this blast will produce some of the lowest temperatures seen in these parts in a long, long time during the upcoming weekend. In addition, the Arctic frontal passage is likely to be accompanied by snow showers/squalls or even a period of steadier snow and accumulations would be quick given the cold ground-level conditions.
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Noticeably colder air moved into the region in the overnight hours and winds will pick up today generating very cold wind chill values. In addition, there can be a snow shower at just about anytime and anyone of these can put down a quick coating of snow given the below freezing temperatures. Another outbreak of Arctic air will arrive late tomorrow night/early Saturday morning and this blast could produce some of the lowest temperatures seen in these parts in a long time during the weekend. In fact, temperatures on both weekend days are likely to hold in the teens for highs along with wind chill values that are well below zero. In addition, low temperatures early Sunday morning are likely to drop to near the zero degree mark in the big city metro regions of DC, Philly, and New York City. If NYC actually reaches zero degrees, it’ll be the first time there in 22 years (since 1994). Boston can very well fall to 5 degrees below zero by early Sunday morning.
This Arctic frontal passage late tomorrow night and early Saturday could be accompanied by snow showers and possible snow squalls with quick accumulations possible. After the brutally cold weekend, clouds will increase on Monday, President’s Day, and there is likely to be some accumulating snow by late Monday or Tuesday. It is too early to tell if this system next week rides up the coast or takes an inland track. Even if it were to take an inland track and produces a changeover from snow-to-rain, accumulating snow would still likely take place on the front end of the storm. Following the early-to-mid week storm, a break in the cold pattern is likely and we may have milder weather conditions for a period of five days or so.
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Check the pipes, car batteries and anything else that can be affected by extreme cold because some is on the way for the weekend. Before the main blast of Arctic air arrives for the weekend, it’ll actually take a step down in temperatures later tonight and on Thursday. A cold front will arrive later tonight and it could cause snow shower activity after 9pm or so which could result in a quick small accumulation. Temperatures tomorrow will hold below freezing and it should stay below freezing right through the upcoming weekend. Additional snow showers can fall on Thursday and anyone of these can put down a quick coating of snow.
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One Mid-Atlantic snow event is now winding down, but this wild 7-to-10 day period has a lot further to go in terms of cold and snow. Two big weather stories for the Mid-Atlantic region over the next several days include the arrival of a news-making, bitter cold air mass this weekend that will reach its low point near the zero degree mark by early Sunday morning and then there is a threat for more accumulating snow early next week. Low pressure will slowly pull away from the region today and high pressure will build in for the next couple of days. An Arctic front will blast through the region late Friday night/early Saturday – possibly accompanied by snow showers – and then both weekend days will be absolutely frigid and a strong wind will generate “slap-in-the-face” wind chills for much of the time.
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In the relatively narrow region from north and west of DC to southern PA, some areas picked up as much as 6 inches of snow this morning while others received little or no snow – not an uncommon result with this type of a system that features small-scale banding in its precipitation field. Specifically, there were small-scale bands of heavier snow this morning that stretched from Loudoun (VA) and Montgomery (MD) Counties to the north and west of DC to Lancaster and York Counties in southern PA and in some areas a significant accumulation took place. These snow bands are now making progress to the northeast and should arrive across southeastern PA over the next couple of hours albeit in a slightly weaker state compared to this morning. The accumulating snow is likely to wind down across the DC metro region over the next few hours as the main precipitation field pivots from the southwest to the northeast.
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Low pressure this morning over the Great Lakes region will transfer its energy to a newly forming coastal low which will only slowly move up the coastline. There will be intermittent snow today and tonight across much of the Mid-Atlantic region with narrow bands of heavy snow likely forming to the northwest of the surface low. There was a lull in the action early this morning, but radar is showing heavier bands already setting up to the north and northwest of the District. Snowfall estimates for the DC metro region are as follows: 1-5 inches with the higher amounts in that range to the north and west of the District (e.g., Montgomery and Loudoun Counties). The snow is likely to be of the wet, slushy variety; primarily sticking on non-paved surfaces except during heavier snow bands which should stick on roadways.
Later this week, it’ll turn quite cold and then an even colder Arctic air outbreak will arrive for the weekend and zero degrees is on the table. As the Arctic blast arrives Friday night, there can be some snow shower or snow squall activity as winds pick up noticeably. Looking ahead, another threat for snow is likely early next week – once again falling right around the President’s Day holiday.
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Our very active weather pattern continues for the foreseeable future and it looks like it will bring accumulating snow to the Mid-Atlantic region from later tonight into early Wednesday. In addition, it'll turn very cold for the Thursday/Friday time period and then absolutely frigid this weekend with zero degree readings on the table and perhaps the coldest Valentine's Day (Sunday) in a long, long time. As this tremendous Arctic blast arrives on Friday night, there could very well be some snow shower and snow squall activity in the I-95 corridor. On top of all that, there is the chance for more snow early next week – something about President’s Day that attracts snowstorms.
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Our very active weather pattern continues for the foreseeable future and it looks like it will bring accumulating snow to the DC metro region from later tonight into early Wednesday. In addition, it'll turn very cold for the Thursday/Friday time period and then absolutely frigid this weekend with zero degree readings on the table and perhaps the coldest Valentine's Day (Sunday) in a long, long time. On top of all that, there is the chance for more snow next week.
Powerful low pressure this morning is moving slowly to the northeast just off the coast and the DC metro region will escape without any of its precipitation. Another low pressure system will trek across the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley later tonight and Tuesday and it will transfer its energy to a coastal storm that will produce an extended period of snow in the region with accumulations. This type of system has the chance to produce accumulations on the order of a couple of inches-to-several inches for much of the DC metro region, but confidence is not too high yet as to exactly where that total snowfall accumulation pattern will set up later tonight and Tuesday. There will be small-scale or mesoscale bands of snow setting up somewhere in the Mid-Atlantic region on Tuesday producing heavier snowfall amounts in localized areas with lesser amounts in nearby regions. The preliminary snowfall estimate for the DC metro region is 2-5 inches by early Wednesday with the higher amounts more likely to the north of the District (e.g., upper part of Montgomery and Prince Georges Counties). Stay tuned - its a challenging forecast.
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Now that today’s snow event is winding down, it is time to focus on the next few threats for snow in the Mid-Atlantic region. One storm will push off the Carolina coastline later Sunday into early Monday and it looks like it will stay just far enough off the coast to miss the I-95 corridor region. However, it is still a little too early to write it off completely as there is still an outside chance that its precipitation shield actually ends up going a bit farther to the north and west than projected – in much the same way as with this morning’s system. Lets hope this system indeed stays off the coast since it looks like it will become a very powerful storm and if it were to back into the I-95 corridor, it could get pretty ugly.
Another threat for snow will take place in the Monday night-to-Wednesday time period and this one has some real potential – at least for parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast US, but questions still remain. Beyond that, there actually is a threat for some snow late next week as it appears bitter cold Arctic air will pour into the Mid-Atlantic region and Northeast US with a clipper-type of system. This frigid air mass could stick around right through the President's Day (and Valentine's Day) weekend and into the following week. In fact, zero degrees is on the table with this Arctic blast. And yes, there are signs for another storm around President's Day (Monday, Feb. 15th) or Tuesday of that following week.
Buckle up - it could be a wild ride.
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