Winter storm blowing northeast with heavy snow, welcome rain

On By Littum

Millions of people from the Mid-Atlantic to the Northeast could see major travel disruptions Thursday as a powerful storm batters the region with snow and beneficial rain. FOX Weather Storm Specialist Mike Seidel was in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Thursday morning, where a winter storm warning is in effect.

NEW YORK — Parts of the Ohio Valley are now included in a series of winter weather warnings issued across the Great Lakes, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.

This comes as a powerful winter storm system blasts the region, bringing snow, beneficial rain and strong winds as millions of people prepare to travel ahead of the busy Thanksgiving holiday.

While travel will peak next week, some people have decided to hit the roads and pack airports early in hopes of beating the holiday rush. AAA said a potentially record 80 million people expected to travel more than 50 miles from home this year. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said it was also preparing for what could be the busiest Thanksgiving travel period on record and offered tips for passengers to make traveling through airports as easy and stress-free as possible.

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A three-hour radar loop showing where showers and thunderstorms are underway. Severe thunderstorm warnings are indicated in yellow. Tornado warnings are indicated in red, while tornado warnings with a confirmed tornado are indicated in purple. Flash flood warnings are indicated in green, while acute floods are indicated in pink.
(FOX Weather)

How much snow falls?

The FOX Forecast Center said that after an extended period of dry and calm weather across the Northeast, rain and even some snow is starting to roll in.

The area of ​​low pressure is expected to rotate around the region through the rest of the work week and into the weekend, bringing rain and snow for millions of people and leading to travel delays.

A powerful storm system bringing rain, snow and strong winds to the northeast is expected to affect travel through the rest of the week and into the weekend. Heavy snow is expected in the higher areas, while heavy rain should help the ongoing drought and wildfire situation.

Most of New England and parts of the Northeast will likely see only beneficial rain from this event due to warm air flowing in from the Atlantic, but the higher elevations and locations directly below the cold upper-level low pressure system may see heavy snow.

Northeast Pennsylvania and the Catskills will see the heaviest snow, with up to a foot falling in the higher elevations there.

The FOX Forecast Center said heavy snow is also expected through the Allegheny Mountains in West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania through the end of the week due to a prolonged uphill snow setup.

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This graphic shows active winter weather warnings in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast.
(FOX Weather)

Winter weather advisories have been expanded since Wednesday, with parts of the Ohio Valley now included in Winter Weather Advisories, while Winter Storm Watches expanded to include more areas in New York state and Pennsylvania. Winter storm warnings remain in effect for areas of West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania, while parts of Tennessee, North Carolina and Kentucky are also under winter weather warnings.

The National Weather Service office in Binghamton, New York, warned of a potential “severe winter storm” in its forecast discussion Wednesday. On Thursday morning, forecasters again warned of the possibility of heavy snow.

The NWS said there are strong indications that banding could move into Sullivan County in New York and Pike County in Pennsylvania and could track along Interstate 86 through the overnight hours toward Broome County in New York.

“Snowfall rates below the band have the potential to be 1-3+ inches per hour for several hours,” said the NWS.

A video shared from the Indianapolis area shows snowflakes flying through the air as a potent storm system gains strength before it is expected to unleash additional snow and beneficial rain from the Mid-Atlantic to the Northeast beginning Thursday.

The storm system has been gaining strength since it developed over the Great Lakes area, and it has since started to pull in colder air from the north. That, in turn, allowed snow to break out in parts of Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana.

A video shot outside Indianapolis Thursday morning shows the flakes flying through the area as winter weather began to rise.

The FOX Forecast Center said the ground will initially be too warm for the snow to accumulate, but as temperatures drop, a slushy inch or two is possible from the Chicago area to Indiana.

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This graphic shows the expected snow totals in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast.
(FOX Weather)

The highest amounts of snow are expected to fall in the higher elevations of West Virginia, where more than a foot of snow could fall in some places. Computer forecast models also show snow in Pennsylvania and New York, with some places also seeing a foot or more of snow.

“Now, obviously what sticks out is the purple ones,” said FOX Weather Meteorologist Craig Herrera, referring to the forecast snow map. “It will be parts of the West Virginia mountains up into parts of Pennsylvania. Of course we will see it over the Poconos.”

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Herrera said the snow totals will be elevation-based.

“When you’ve got all that over parts of West Virginia, all that wind coming in from the west, pounding up against the mountains, pushing the moisture out, boom, you’ve got a whole blast in the way of snow.”

Much needed rain will also fall

This graphic shows expected rainfall in the Northeast.
(FOX Weather)

Expected rainfall amounts in the Northeast and New England should remain in the 1-2 inch range, although locally higher amounts of 2-3 inches or more are possible in some areas.

“Given the drought, the rain along the (Interstate) 95 corridor is significant,” FOX Weather Meteorologist Stephen Morgan said. “Will we see more than an inch in New York City? I think there’s a pretty healthy shot over the next few days. Will it fall in one day? Maybe not.”

The rainfall is expected to help ease some of the record drought conditions and reduce the threat of wildfires that have plagued the region.