New England Prepares for Powerful Nor’easter and Likely Bomb Cyclone

Posted: January 28, 2022 9:25 am

As a powerful nor’easter picks up steam in the Atlantic, forecasters are becoming more certain of its potential path. While the trajectory still has time to change slightly, it would appear as if Boston should be ready to take on this storm by the weekend.

Storm Getting Ready to Make its Journey Up the East Coast

The storm is predicted to chug up the East Coast beginning late Friday and continuing through the weekend. Forecasters are predicting that this nor’easter will eventually undergo the process of bombogenesis and turn into a bomb cyclone on its way to becoming a large-scale blizzard for parts of eastern New England.

A new mass of cold air is arriving into the area just ahead of the storm, helping to provide the necessary ingredients for a monster of a winter storm. The system is expected to strengthen rapidly on Friday as it moves to the north along the Eastern Seaboard, starting off the coast of the Carolina’s and continuing up to Atlantic Canada by the beginning of next week.

The areas most likely to see over a foot of snow out of this storm include the bulk of eastern New England and the eastern edge of Long Island, New York.

In addition to the heavy snow, the bomb cyclone will also pack a punch with hurricane-force winds possible for eastern New England. These strong winds will increase the risk of power outages, blowing and drifting snow, and rapidly deteriorating road conditions. The coastal areas will also be at risk of flooding and beach erosion. This threat is particularly high for eastern Massachusetts, including Cape Cod and Plymouth.

Boston on High Alert

Boston is forecast to take the brunt of the storm with an estimated snowfall range between 18 and 24 inches. Should this occur, the storm will rank as one of the biggest in history. Other areas that are predicted to take it on the chin include Providence, Rhode Island and Portland, Maine.

Experts are warning to not get too hung up on exact snowfall accumulations. It may be difficult to measure the snow with accuracy due to the potential of blizzard conditions whipping the snow around. The expectation of dry and powdery snow will combine with high winds to reduce visibility on the road to just 1/4 of a mile or less.

Now is the time to stock up and prepare for this storm if you live in its projected path.

What About Other Areas Outside of New England?

It is hard to pinpoint what type of accumulation the New York City metro area may see. Snowfall measurements will likely vary widely throughout the five boroughs and surrounding regions. For example, while the northwestern corner of New Jersey may get away with just an inch, parts of Long Island may get buried under a foot of snow. Be warned that the slightest wobble in the storm track could bring a significant departure from the current predictions.

On average, York City has the potential to see between 6 and 12 inches of snow by the time the storm has wrapped up. In advance of the approaching storm, New York City officials are preparing to treat over 700 miles of streets with brine. All five boroughs will also have snow removal equipment ready to go.

Snowfall amounts will be lower in areas such as Baltimore and Philadelphia. Washington, D.C. will see a few inches out of this storm.

Mid-Atlantic and Beyond

At this point, the storm looks to continue to push farther to the east, putting New England in the bullseye. However, there is still a good chance that a large area of the mid-Atlantic will also see snow out of this massive storm. The coastal areas of eastern Maryland and into Delaware are the parts of the mid-Atlantic most likely to experience significant impacts form this storm.

Moving farther to the south, a few inches of snow may get the storm started in parts of eastern North Carolina and up through southeastern Virginia. This is the same general area that was hit hard by last weekend’s ice event. It is important to note that even if this area does not see a great amount of precipitation out of this storm, any wet areas may freeze up during the overnight hours on Saturday and into Sunday as more cold air moves in.

The bottom line is that everyone along the East Coast needs to be prepared for what this storm may deliver over the next few days. Almost everyone will feel some type of impact as it roars up the coast.