A fresh infusion of Arctic air from southeastern Canada in the overnight hours will set the stage for a significant winter storm in the Mid-Atlantic region from Friday afternoon into late Saturday. The cold air mass will be anchored by strong high pressure over SE Canada which will stay in place during the event. A thin layer of slightly above-freezing air in the upper atmosphere will nose into the southern Mid-Atlantic region creating conditions for sleet and freezing rain in many of those areas. The storm will bring substantial accumulating snow across the northern Mid-Atlantic region and a mixed bag of precipitation across the southern Mid-Atlantic. Travel conditions will deteriorate rapidly once the precipitation gets underway this afternoon and will remain very difficult right through tomorrow with temperatures at or below freezing in many areas through much of the event. Looking ahead, another Arctic outbreak reaches the Mid-Atlantic region on Monday night and a second shot around New Year’s Day.
Here is a breakdown for the Mid-Atlantic’s I-95 corridor:
NYC metro, central/northern NJ, east-central PA, NE PA: primarily a snow event with accumulations in the 5-9 inch range, isolated higher amounts, some sleet can mix in at times, surface temperatures stay below freezing through the event
Philly metro, northern DE, southern NJ: snow and sleet should dominate with some freezing rain, snow accumulations in the 1-3 inch range and there will likely be a thick layer of sleet, I don’t expect surface temperatures to get above freezing through most, if not all, of the event.
DC metro, northern MD, northern VA: mainly a combination of rain, freezing rain and sleet, a touch of snow is possible with little to no accumulation, watch for an ice buildup across the normally colder northern suburbs…temperatures will hove close to the freezing mark during much of the event.
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A cold front passed through the region last night and today will be on the chilly side with a stiff NW wind making it feel even colder than the actual air temperatures. Another weak low pressure system could produce a bit of rain on Christmas Day and then a significant winter storm is likely to have an impact at the end of the week. There is potential for substantial icing and/or snow around here by later Friday and Friday night with a strong high pressure system to our north acting as an important source of cold air through the event.
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While the nation’s mid-section enjoys rarely ever-seen sustained warmth for the next few days, the northeastern states will continue to experience plenty of winter weather right into the early part of January. One system is bringing some accumulating snow today to the northern Mid-Atlantic region and Northeast US and some interior higher elevation locations will receive several inches. Another storm system is likely to threaten the Mid-Atlantic region and Northeast US on Friday with significant accumulating snow in some areas and substantial icing in others. A key player at the end of the week will be a strong high-pressure system over southeastern Canada which will act as an anchor for low-level Arctic air that can lead to frozen precipitation throughout the Mid-Atlantic region and Northeast US.
Looking ahead to next week, the winter weather pattern is likely to continue across the northeastern states with two major-league Arctic air outbreaks on the table. Both of these Arctic air masses will have originated up across the northwestern part of Canada where temperatures on Monday morning bottomed out at -67.7°F... reportedly the lowest temperature in Canada since January 1999…in other words, get ready, next week’s Arctic invasions might be quite noteworthy.
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Low pressure to our north will produce accumulating snow in the area early today and then a mixed bag of precipitation is likely before it all winds down around mid-day…watch for slick spots through the morning, accumulations of a coating to an inch or so. After clearing skies tonight, the mid-week looks to be dry and chilly in the Philly metro region and then there can be a touch of light precipitation on Thursday, Christmas Day, from another “clipper” system that moves from northwest-to-southeast. A more impactful low pressure is likely here at the end of the week with significant ice or accumulating snow on the table as strong high pressure positioned to our north acts as a source of cold air for the northeastern states.
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While the nation’s mid-section enjoys rarely ever-seen sustained warmth for Christmas week, the northeastern states will experience plenty of winter weather during the next 7 days or so. One system will bring some snow and ice to the northern Mid-Atlantic region and Northeast US from late tonight into Tuesday and though not a significant event, there can be some slippery spots tomorrow even in the big cities along the I-95 corridor from Philly-to-Boston. Another storm could threaten the Mid-Atlantic region and Northeast US with accumulating snow and significant ice at the end of the week with strong high pressure positioned over eastern Canada anchoring an Arctic air mass. By the end of the upcoming weekend, another low pressure will slide to the Great Lakes, and its training cold front will head to the east coast. This combination can produce rain, ice and snow across the northeastern states late in the weekend and it’ll be followed by another Arctic air outbreak for the first part of next week.
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A cold front passed through the region late Sunday and the new work week will start off on the cold side with sun giving way to increasing clouds. A “clipper” low pressure system over the Great Lakes will bring thickening clouds to the area by this evening and snow is likely late at night as its moisture field moves in from northwest-to-southeast. On Tuesday, temperatures will climb above freezing and the precipitation will become a mixed bag of rain, sleet and snow before an ultimate changeover to rain. Watch out for some slippery spots during the AM commute on Tuesday and a coating to an inch of snow is possible before any changeover takes place.
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A strong cold front will barrel through the region later this morning bringing with it additional heavy rain and maybe even a gusty thunderstorm. Winds will shift from a southwesterly direction this morning to northwesterly for the mid-day and afternoon hours and can gust to 50 mph or so as colder air pushes into the Mid-Atlantic region. Temperatures will drop into the 30’s during the day from the very mild levels in the 50’s reached this morning ahead of the frontal passage. Snow showers are now developing across some of the higher elevation interior locations of the Mid-Atlantic region and a few of these may make their way into the immediate I-95 corridor. The weather will settle down for the weekend with dry conditions expected on both days and a moderate chill in the air.
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A strong cold front will barrel through the region early Friday morning, and this system will bring us heavy rain, powerful winds, and maybe even a gusty thunderstorm. Winds will be strong ahead of the front from late tonight into early Friday, gusting up to 45 mph or so from a southwesterly direction, and then they’ll shift to northwesterly following the frontal passage. After a brief lull in the winds immediately surrounding the frontal passage, they’ll pick up markedly during the mid-day and afternoon hours...potentially gusting to 50+ mph. Temperatures will act in a topsy-turvy fashion during the next 24 hours in that they’ll rise into the 50’s later tonight in most areas and then drop sharply into the 30’s during the day on Friday on the heels of the frontal passage. Snow showers are very likely to develop on Friday across some of the higher elevation interior locations and one or two of these can make their way all the way into the I-95 corridor. The weather will settle down for the weekend with dry conditions expected on both days and a moderate chill in the air and another colder-than-normal air mass will arrive for the start of next week.
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A strong cold front will barrel through the region early Friday and it will bring us heavy rain, powerful winds, and maybe even a gusty thunderstorm. Winds will be strong late tonight/early Friday ahead of the front and can gust to 45 mph or so from a southwesterly direction. After a brief lull in the winds immediately following the passage of the cold front, they’ll pick up markedly during the mid-day and afternoon hours from a northwesterly direction…potentially gusting to 50 mph or so. Temperatures will act in a topsy-turvy fashion in that they’ll rise into the 50’s later tonight in many places and then drop into the 30’s during the day on Friday following the passage of the strong cold front. Snow showers will develop across some of the higher elevation interior locations on Friday and one or two of these may make their way into the I-95 corridor. The weather will settle down for the weekend with dry conditions expected on both days and a moderate chill in the air.
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A strong cold front will barrel through the Mid-Atlantic region on Friday morning and this system will be quite active with heavy rainfall and powerful winds from later tomorrow night into Friday. There is even the chance that a squall line of gusty thunderstorms forms right along the frontal boundary zone which could result in downpours and gusty winds right around the Friday AM commute in the I-95 corridor. After a mild start to the day on Friday, temperatures are likely to drop markedly during the mid-day and afternoon hours as the next colder-than-normal air mass pours into the Mid-Atlantic region. Snow showers will develop on Friday across some of the higher elevation interior locations and one or two of these can make their way into the I-95 corridor. The weather will settle down for the weekend with dry conditions expected on both days and a moderate chill in the air.
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