Parts of New England to See Significant Snowfall on Tuesday

Posted: February 8, 2022 12:09 pm

Residents in the Carolinas woke up to a wide range of precipitation on Monday morning, spanning from regular rain to ice. What is next for this storm system moving up the Eastern Seaboard?

Storm to Bring Wintry Mix to Much of East Coast Through Tuesday

The coastal storm ignited on Sunday off the coast of Florida before strengthening during the overnight hours and into Monday morning. As it gained in intensity, it was able to bring up moisture and dump it through the Carolinas as rain, ice, and sleet. Another round of moisture also fired up a little farther to the north early Monday, bringing drizzle, ice, and wet and heavy snow to parts of the mid-Atlantic and up into southern New England.

As the storm continues to gain in intensity and size, it will move to the north and northeast up the mid-Atlantic coastline, delivering persistent rain along the Interstate 95 corridor. While most of the precipitation will fall as regular rain in the mid-Atlantic, some parts of Washington, D.C. and up through Philadelphia and New York City may wake up to a few icy patches on Tuesday morning.

Be sure to check the road conditions before heading out for your morning commute. While the precipitation might have been rain in the overnight hours, the cold overnight lows could change standing water into ice. As with any type of precipitation this time of the year, the areas most susceptible to freezing surfaces will be bridges and overpasses.

Heavy Snow Expected Farther to the North

While much of the mid-Atlantic and Northeast should get away with little impacts, it will be a different story in New England. Colder temperatures will cause the precipitation to fall as mainly snow. The interior portion of southern New England and northern New England will bear the brunt of this snow.

Boston is forecast to only see a wet and slushy accumulation. However, the snow will be much heavier in parts of central Maine and the northeastern corner of New Hampshire. This is because colder air temperatures are the norm this time of the year for this part of New England, particularly when compared to the thinner layers of cold air in the mid-Atlantic.

The most northern tier of New England can expect to see up to a foot of snow by the time the storm dissipates late Tuesday. The system will move into Atlantic Canada by Tuesday night, bringing even more snow to northeastern New Brunswick.

Southern Vermont and northern Massachusetts will also be under the gun to see flakes fly. However, milder air in this part of New England may give rain the opportunity to mix in with the wet snow.

Motorists Need to Exercise Caution

Motorists traveling in Upstate New York and along the Massachusetts Turnpike should be ready for the possibility of travel delays due to adverse road conditions. Some portions of interstates 89, 91, and 93 may also be affected by this weather maker. Because the temperatures have been consistently below freezing for much of the region, it will not take much wintry precipitation to make a mess of the roads.

The good news is that this storm system is compact in nature. This size will limit its ability to push farther to the west from the coastal areas. Some areas in New England will completely miss out on the snow because of the small size of this system.

Looking Ahead

The good news is the air coming in after this system will not be as cold as what the recent rash of winter storms brought to the Northeast. The persistent pattern of Alberta clipper storms will keep the coldest of the air farther to the north in Canada, preventing it from surging down into the Northeast.

However, forecasters are keeping an eye on the potential of another significant winter storm that could form this weekend and into the early parts of next week. The potential of this storm will be fueled by a new wave of Arctic air pushing to the south.

It is still too early to tell where this system will set up. Be sure to keep an eye on your local forecast in the coming days if you live along the East Coast.

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