Snow and High Winds in the Northeast Prove Winter is Not Yet Over

Posted: March 1, 2021 2:30 pm

It was another wintry weekend throughout much of the Northeast. A moderate snowfall moved through eastern New York and up into New England to start the weekend with snow totals reaching about two inches in most areas. The region dried out briefly overnight on Saturday before precipitation fired back up again on Sunday morning. This precipitation persisted as rain, creating a wet Monday morning commute throughout the Northeast.

Snow Squalls to be the Story on Monday Night: A new round of quick-moving snow will set up over the Great Lakes on Monday, bringing new snowfall to the area through the evening and overnight hours. A blast of cold air will creep over the warm water in the lakes, spurring the development of heavy snow showers and squalls. This will be most likely to happen in Upstate New York.

While the system will move through relatively quickly, the rate of snowfall will be intense enough to lead to whiteout conditions and wreak havoc for motorists. The strength of these squalls could coat roads with a slippery mess in just a matter of minutes.

The roadways most likely to be affected by the snow squalls on Monday include interstates 80, 81, and 86 as well as the New York Thruway. Motorists should also be cautious about secondary roads that may be in the path of squalls that pop up.

Snow Showers Also on Tap: While not as dangerous as snow squalls, ordinary snow showers will also likely stretch across large areas of Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont. Although little accumulation is predicted, the higher terrains may see snow that sticks.

Gusty Conditions to Accompany Snow: In addition to the brief periods of snow, the area will also be prone to gusty conditions late Monday night and into Tuesday. The good news is that the areas most likely to see the windy conditions are the same areas that are predicted to see the least amount of snow. Wind gusts of up to 70 mph are expected across isolated areas of New England. The strongest winds are predicted to swing through the Massachusetts Cape and Islands.

Cold Weather to Creep Back Up: Cold air is also back in the forecast for a large part of the US. The Upper Midwest will struggle to reach above freezing in many areas. For example, Minneapolis and Green Bay, Wisconsin will not climb out of the 20s for a high temperature on Monday.

This cold air will advance eastward throughout the day on Monday, bringing a dropping mercury on Tuesday for the East Coast. After enjoying nearly springlike weather over the last few days, New York City will not get out of the 30s on Tuesday. Those in New England will not likely see anything above the 20s.

Rainy Weather in the South: The South and mid-Atlantic are having a more typical end to winter and beginning of spring with widespread rain hampering the region. To close out the weekend, areas of Arkansas stretching all the way into West Virginia experienced slow-moving and widespread rain. These downpours led to numerous road closures and flash flood warnings.

The city of Nashville saw rainfall totals of over two inches for the weekend. Some areas of West Virginia and Kentucky reported rainfall amounts over five inches.

Rain to Move Farther South: While this area will now begin to dry out as the work week begins, regions farther to the south will see heavy rain through at least Wednesday. In addition, a new storm system is predicted to set up in Texas, bringing the chance of even more rain to the Deep South starting Monday night and continuing off and on through Wednesday. Areas most likely to see significant rainfall include cities along interstates 10 and 20.

The front will also bring a high chance of severe thunderstorms, dangerous wind gusts, and localized flooding. The system will move off into the Atlantic Ocean by late Monday with drier weather coming in behind it thanks to an area of high pressure.

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