Light snow to swing through Northeast on Monday, with a late-week storm looming large
The winter season is in full swing this week, as AccuWeather meteorologists say there will be several opportunities for snow on the docket for the Midwest and Northeast. However, forecasters also caution that many will be left with just rain, depending on the exact setup in the atmosphere.
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Radar imagery from early in the morning on January 9, 2022, depicting areas of rain and snow in the Mid-Atlantic states. (AccuWeather) |
Already, wintry precipitation is underway to start the week. Snow showers were spotted first thing on Sunday morning across Illinois and Indiana before sliding eastward into Pennsylvania and Maryland by the overnight hours. Farther south, a layer of cold air near the surface allowed for some light freezing rain in portions of Virginia on Sunday, leading to some slick spots on area roads.
"The quick-moving storm will bring a swath of snow across portions of central and eastern Pennsylvania into the northern half of New Jersey through Monday morning," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski.
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AccuWeather meteorologists warn that snowflakes could reach into major metro areas like Philadelphia and New York City. However, with temperatures above freezing in these locations, any accumulation should be confined to areas farther inland.
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This initial wave of snow could be followed by at least one more round of snow.
"Temperatures through at least midweek are expected to stay near normal for January, keeping open the possibility for more snow," said Pydynowski.
Snow showers are expected to sweep across parts of Maine Monday night through early Tuesday, allowing for a quick inch of snow in some communities like Caribou. Another sneaky wave of snow is possible from the Great Lakes to northern New England from Wednesday night into Thursday.
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In both instances, no more than 1-2 inches of snow is expected in most places outside of the locations in the higher elevations. However, the exact timing of the snow could make for slippery travel conditions.
Additionally, some spots in Upstate New York and interior New England could see a period of sleet or freezing rain from this event.
"As a surge of warm air slides over colder air near the surface, a setup will be in place that is favorable for some freezing rain, especially in inland valleys. While a major ice storm isn't expected at this time, it would be enough to create slippery conditions on roadways," AccuWeather Meteorologist Andrew Johnson-Levine explained.
Meanwhile, a more potent storm looks to gather in the center of the country during midweek, before shifting East late in the week.
"This more significant storm has the potential to bring wind, heavy rain and heavy snow as it takes shape across the Midwest, Great Lakes and Northeast Thursday into Friday," Pydynowski said.
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The cold air wrapping around and following the storm makes snow likely somewhere across the Midwest and Northeast.
The exact track of the center of the storm will determine how widespread the snow could be.
"At this time, communities from the Great Lakes into northern New York, central and northern New England and even southern Canada have the best chance for accumulating snow late Thursday into Friday," said Pydynowski. This includes cities like Indianapolis and Detroit to Buffalo, New York, and even Boston.
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As for areas farther south and east, like the Interstate 95 corridor from Washington D.C. and Baltimore to New York City, mainly rain and wind seem to be the greater impacts.
For cities such as Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Albany, New York, and Bangor, Maine, a battle between warm and cold air may occur, allowing for a mix of rain and snow.
While increasingly less likely, a storm track farther to the south, across the Tennessee Valley and the Carolinas, would be more likely to bring the risk of snow into these major cities.
The rounds of wintry precipitation this week could end the ongoing snow drought for some of the major cities in the Northeast.
Through the end of the day Saturday, Jan. 9, New York City has gone 304 days without measurable snow (designated as 0.1 of an inch of snow or greater). The last time this occurred was on March 9, 2022, when a mere 0.4 of an inch was recorded.
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Other cities like Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia recorded snow later that winter, on March 12, putting them out of the running for the longest snow droughts. However, if Philadelphia makes it through this week without picking up measurable snow, the city would also crack the top 10 of the longest snow droughts for the city of Brotherly Love.
The record-longest snow drought for Philadelphia is an astounding 616 days, thanks to a rare warm winter in the 1972-1973 season where less than 0.1 of an inch of snow was recorded. The city's average annual snowfall is 21.7 inches.
Correction: The record for the number of days without snow in Philadelphia is 616, not 60 as this story previously mentioned.
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