It stays mild in the Mid-Atlantic region into the beginning of the upcoming weekend, but an Arctic front will reach the area on Saturday and its passage will bring about much colder conditions for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Low pressure is likely to form along the Arctic frontal boundary zone by Saturday night and this system could generate some accumulating snowfall in the Mid-Atlantic region from late Saturday night into Sunday. The core of the Arctic blast will move into the region on Monday with temperatures on Valentine’s Day likely to be way below-normal for the middle of February. The Arctic chill wanes by mid-week and then signs point to a big time warm-up by late next week.
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The next few days will be relatively quiet in the Mid-Atlantic region and somewhat milder than recent days. There will be a couple of weak frontal systems to deal with during the next couple of nights, but, in general, high pressure will be the main player as we head into the weekend. It is at this time, the overall pattern becomes much more active. After a mild beginning to the weekend, an Arctic cold front will head into the eastern states from northwest-to-southeast and it will tend to slow down upon its arrival. Snow could actually break out along the slowing-down frontal boundary zone in the Mid-Atlantic region as we head into the second half of the weekend and low pressure will try to intensify off the east coast. A situation that needs to be closely monitored in coming days.
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Weak low pressure is currently located over the Carolina coastline and it will intensify over the next 6-12 hours as it pushes northeastward. A batch of precipitation well in advance of the low pressure system broke out earlier today in the DC-to-Philly-to-NYC corridor resulting in some patchy freezing drizzle and light snow in spots. A second and more widespread batch of precipitation is now headed northeastward as the low intensifies and it will arrive later today in the same DC-to-Philly-to-NYC corridor with enough residual cold air around to allow for the likelihood of some snow and/or sleet. The threat for some snow, ice and/or rain will continue into the latter part of the evening and small snow/ice accumulations are quite possible; especially, in suburban locations to the north and west of the big cities. Watch out for icy patches on the roads early Tuesday morning as temperatures should be at or below freezing.
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Quite a muddy mess in the Mid-Atlantic region today with occasional rain, snowmelt, and some patchy fog as well - all out ahead of a slow-moving Arctic cold frontal system that has wreaked havoc on much of the heartland during the past couple of days with snow, ice and rain. That cold front will inch its way across the DC-to-Philly-to-NYC corridor tomorrow morning and an Arctic air mass will filter into the region from the northwest-to-southeast. After a very mild start early in the day along the immediate I-95 corridor, temperatures will fall throughout the remainder of Friday following the passage of the Arctic front. As a result, any plain rain that is falling early tomorrow can begin to freeze on some untreated surfaces by mid-day or early afternoon across suburban locations to the north and west. The rain can also mix with or change to sleet and/or snow for a brief time later in the day on Friday. It does appear that the icing potential in this case will be rather limited in nature around here as drier air will tend to inhibit any appreciable amounts of precipitation while we are on the cold side of the front. Temperatures are likely to continue to drop tomorrow night which can lead to a quick freeze-up of any standing water that still remains.
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Phil saw his shadow this morning in upstate Pennsylvania signaling there will be 6 more weeks of winter which is probably the right forecast as it looks now. At the very least, it is looking quite wintry going into the middle of the month for much of the central and eastern US as additional cold air outbreaks are quite likely and there should be other storm threats as well. A slow-moving Arctic frontal system is the focus of attention today across the nation’s heartland as it is being accompanied by a little bit of ice in some spots and a lot of snow in other areas.
After a mild and wet Thursday and Thursday night in the Mid-Atlantic, this slow-moving cold front will inch its way across the region early Friday morning and cold, dense low-level Arctic air will filter in from northwest-to-southeast. As a result, any plain rain that is falling early Friday can begin to freeze on some surfaces in the DC-to-Philly-to-NYC corridor potentially leading to an icy mess; especially, in some of the suburbs to the north and west. Later Friday, the precipitation can change from freezing rain to sleet and then perhaps for a brief time to all snow before winding down early Friday night. Temperatures are likely to drop sharply on Friday night so any roads that remain wet can quickly “freeze-up” - including in those areas along coastal New Jersey and the Delmarva Peninsula where temperatures may not drop to freezing until early Friday night.
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Tomorrow is Ground Hog Day and if I could provide some advice to my fellow Pennsylvania prognosticator, it would be to lean towards the prediction of 6 more weeks of winter. At least it is looking quite wintry for the next few weeks in much of the central and eastern US as cold air outbreaks will continue and there are likely to be multiple storm threats on the table. The next few days will feature a slow-moving Arctic cold frontal system across the nation’s heartland that will be the focus area for all kinds of precipitation. There will be rain and thunderstorms on the warm side of the front (southeast) and ice and snow on its cold side (northwest). In fact, the ice and snow will impact a large region of the country extending from the Southwest US to the Northeast US before the week is done with some regions likely to experience substantial snowfall and other areas to suffer with some serious icing.
In the Mid-Atlantic/Northeast US, Thursday will start off as a relatively mild day with some rainfall, but interior sections may begin to see a changeover to ice and/or snow later in the day as low-level Arctic air filters in. Sometime on Friday the rain can change to ice and/or snow in the immediate I-95 corridor with the arrival of the Arctic air and by Friday night, temperatures could be dropping rather sharply - potentially setting the stage for a quick “freeze-up”. Looking ahead and this is still in the speculation phase, another storm system is likely to develop near the Southeast US coastline early this weekend and it could result in some snow/ice in the Mid-Atlantic/NE US during the Sunday/Monday time frame.
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Many ingredients are going to come together that will allow for explosive intensification of a storm system over the western Atlantic Ocean between mid-day today and late Saturday. In fact, it appears that this low pressure system will easily surpass the requirement of a central pressure drop of at least 24 millibars in a 24-hour period to be classified as a “bomb cyclone”. Some snow is likely to break out today across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast US and then the main event will come tonight and Saturday from this intensifying storm. Very cold air will push into the eastern states during the height of the storm on Saturday and it’ll be bitter cold tomorrow night with brutal wind chills. This Arctic blast will plunge all the way down to southern Florida and even to Cuba. Miami is likely to experience lows in the 30’s this weekend for the first time since 2010.
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Many ingredients are going to come together that will allow for explosive intensification of a storm system over the western Atlantic Ocean between mid-day Friday and late Saturday. In fact, it appears that this low pressure system may rather easily surpass the requirement of a central pressure drop of at least 24 millibars in a 24-hour period to be classified as a “bomb cyclone”. Some snow is likely to break out during the day on Friday across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast US as an Arctic cold frontal system arrives and small accumulations are even possible. The main event by the rapidly intensifying ocean storm will take place on Friday night and Saturday. Very cold air will follow on its heels later this weekend all the way down to the southern part of Florida where Miami could see lows in the 30’s for the first time since 2010.
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Many ingredients are going to come together that will allow for explosive intensification of a storm system over the western Atlantic Ocean between mid-day Friday and mid-day Saturday. In fact, it appears that this low pressure system may rather easily surpass the requirement of a central pressure drop of at least 24 millibars in a 24-hour period to be classified as a “bomb cyclone”. The exact timing of the rapid intensification and the ultimate track of the storm are still somewhat unclear at this time and while a significant impact appears quite likely for eastern New England, there is a chance that at least part of the Mid-Atlantic region escapes with only a moderate or minor impact.
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A cold and active weather pattern will continue this week across the eastern US and there is continued potential for an intense ocean storm at week’s end. Many ingredients are likely to come together at the end of the week that will allow for explosive intensification of surface low pressure somewhere off the US east coast. These ingredients include the following: strong jet streaks in the northern and southern branches of the jet stream, plenty of very cold air to the north and west, relatively warm waters in the western Atlantic, and deepening low pressure aloft that will at some point take on a “negative” tilt in its axis orientation. It is still a bit too early to determine the ultimate storm track and exactly when the explosive intensification will take place, but all residents in the Mid-Atlantic/Northeast US should continue to closely monitor this unfolding intense ocean storm scenario.
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