NEW Weather: Clipper storm could bring measurable snow to NYC this weekend

STATEN ISLAND, NY – There’s a chance New York City could see its first accumulating snowfall of the season this weekend if an incoming Alberta clipper storm interacts with another system out in the Atlantic.

A rock storm, as defined by National Weather Serviceis a fast-moving storm that enters the United States over the Great Lakes from Alberta, Canada.

Although New York City has seen snowflakes on a few occasions in recent weeks, previous bouts of freezing precipitation have left no mark on the ground due to elevated temperatures.

But should the conditions adapt, the five districts may just wake up on Saturday to a few centimeters of snow.

The formula for snow

Dave Dombek, a senior meteorologist with AccuWeathersays there are a few possible scenarios for the weather this weekend.

The first factor that comes into play is the temperature. To get snow, you need some cold air, and luckily for those who enjoy the powdery precipitation, Friday’s low will be just below freezing at 29 degrees, according to AccuWeather. Saturday will maintain the cold conditions with a high of only 34 and a cool low of 19 degrees.

Now if the clipper were to come through with the cold front, and no other factors play a role, Dombek believes we could see a snow shower, but nothing that would stick.

“It’s the type of system that could produce a snow flurry, or a few flurries, maybe a short burst of snow,” Dombek said. “It wouldn’t be a major storm, it wouldn’t be a big deal, and it might not happen at all, or we might not get much more than just some showers as it passes through.”

However, there is a “wild card” in the mix that could bring more extensive snowfall.

As the clipper sweeps down into the Northeast, Dombek says it may try to interact with a developing low pressure system out in the Atlantic. Should the ocean storm remain deep in the Atlantic, New York City will see no impact from the secondary system. But if that system gets close enough to the coast, the city could very well see some accumulating snow, according to Dombek.

“There’s at least a chance that the clipper will interact with the developing storm offshore and actually end up moving it a little bit closer to shore,” Dombek said.

“What it could do, the interaction with the clipper and the offshore storm, it could pull it in just close enough to the coast, at least for a period of several hours on Friday night, where there could actually be some steady snow falling in and around the city ,” Dombek added.

In this scenario, Dombek notes, the city could receive anything from a coating to 2 inches of snowfall.

Despite the possibility of this outcome, Dombek clarifies that this is “not the most likely scenario.” Still, there is a possibility that residents will wake up on Saturday to a snow-covered winter landscape.

Chance of rain Wednesday

Friday’s rock storm will follow on the heels of a system expected to bring rain to the New York City area on Wednesday.

Although downstate New York is slated to receive rain, areas around and north of the Catskills could see a few inches of snow with this weather event.

This system is expected to predominantly affect the New York City area late Wednesday into Wednesday evening and is expected to bring anywhere from a third of an inch to a half inch of rainfall, shared by Dombek.