Weekend winter storm forecast: Much of nation facing snow and ice in sprawling storm
What is shaping up to be one of the biggest winter storms in years was incubating off the West Coast Thursday ahead of its steady march across the nation, threatening to deliver heavy snow and crippling ice to dozens of Southern states before curving north toward the New York City area for a day of potentially heavy snow on Sunday.
The storm, with a potential historic sweep unlike any seen in recent years, will reach the doorstep of the Tri-State Sunday morning.
A Winter Storm Watch has been issued for the Tri-State area from late Saturday night through Monday afternoon, in addition to a Cold Weather Advisory that goes into effect Friday night.
Areas well north and west of New York City could see accumulations of a foot or more of snow, with bullseye regions including extreme northwestern New Jersey, the Hudson Valley and eastern Pennsylvania.
New York City and Long Island, as well as much of New Jersey, could land in the 6-to-12-inch range, but those numbers could be tamped down by mixing of freezing rain and sleet, likely along the immediate coast later in the day.
Regardless of final totals, travel is likely to be difficult, and utilities will be on high alert for outages.
On Thursday, the New York region enjoyed a brief thaw, with temperatures soaring into the 40s. That easing of the Arctic grip won't last long, as extremely cold air floods back on Friday and locks in for days to come.
That cold air will be spilling across much of the nation, setting the stage for the vast winter storm.
The storm that will sweep the country is hatching off the California coast before marching across the nation, where it will crash into cold air and a disturbance from Canada to create potentially dangerous conditions, especially in parts of the country that are not familiar with extreme winter weather.
The storm is picking up Pacific Ocean moisture, and hurricane hunters have entered the system to get an early feel for the storm's dynamics.
As the storm gets itself together, it will drop ice and snow from Texas through the deep South and then curve toward the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast.
Winter weather alerts begin as far west as New Mexico and currently stretch as far east as the Carolinas and north toward New England.
Areas in North Texas, Oklahoma into Arkansas, part of Mississippi, and Tennessee could be dealing with significant ice, with snow to the north, on Saturday as it heads toward the Southeast.
Icing is one of the biggest concerns wherever it sets up. A half an inch of ice adds hundred of pounds of tension to powerlines.
In our area, the storm will initially battle some dry damming from the Arctic air at first but will eventually overcome it as snow overspreads the Northeast.
Governmental agencies across the Tri-state area are taking the threat seriously and are preparing for a significant snow storm.
The high on Saturday will be 18 with a low of just 12, and wind chills will be below zero. While Saturday will be brutally cold, it will be dry, making it a good day to take care of any last-minute preparations ahead of the storm.
Check back regularly for an updated forecast discussion.
