Snowstorm headed northeast, including DC, Philly, NYC and Boston

A wintry pattern from late Saturday into Monday morning will dump enough snow for shoveling and plowing in areas from West Virginia to Maine as well as trigger a number of interstate and airport travel issues, AccuWeather warn meteorologists.

Much colder air will filter into the northeastern states after a relatively mild start to the weekend, with a weak storm bringing some rain and drizzle along the coast. The fresh Arctic air will pave the way for another storm later this weekend that will bring snow to many areas.

The snow will cover streets, major highways and cause deicing delays at area airports. An increase in flight cancellations is also likely with the storm affecting most major hubs in the Northeast.

“This will likely end up being the first general snowstorm for parts along and north of the Interstate 95 corridor for the Mid-Atlantic and New England, as storms this winter have not hit all areas with significant snow at once,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Tom Kines said. “Parts of eastern New England have received almost no snow at all so far this winter.”

The most stable swath of snow may be just northwest of Interstate 95 from Washington, DC to Boston. Locations further north and west of the main artery in the more traditional snowy patches in the northern and western suburbs of the major cities may also pick up a round of heavy snowfall from this event.

This zone is expected to receive 3-6 inches of snow, with the storm’s fast forward speed preventing much heavier amounts along this corridor. However, some places in the mountains of West Virginia and from east-central Pennsylvania through southeastern Maine could get over 6 inches.

“We are very confident that the amount of snowfall will tend to increase from the southwest to the northeast of the region, with the largest amounts likely in New England,” said AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno.

The snow will move in Philadelphia to be behind ahead of the National Football League playoffs at Lincoln Financial Field, creating slippery conditions and poor visibility that could be a factor in the game. Snowfall rates of one-half to three-quarters of an inch per hour are possible later this afternoon and evening for a period around Philadelphia and much of I-95.

Snowfall with the storm could reach 1 foot in the New England mountains, and depending on the storm track, parts of the Poconos in northeastern Pennsylvania and the Catskill Mountains in southeastern New York state could also approach that number. A sharp northwesterly cut to the accumulating snow is likely with the storm, so areas of western Pennsylvania and western and central New York may receive little to no snow ahead of the ramp up of lake-effect snow.

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“There is some data that suggests the storm could strengthen quickly enough to be dubbed a bomb cyclone,” Kines said.

The storm’s central barometric pressure would need to drop 0.71 inches of mercury (24 millibars) or more in 24 hours or less, most likely from Sunday morning to Monday morning, with a track from near southeastern Virginia to Atlantic Canada.

The storm will strengthen enough to create strong winds in its wake from Sunday night into Monday and into Tuesday. The storm’s circulation will help draw in the coldest air of the winter that traveled all the way from Siberia.

The expected cool conditions and safety problems have prompted the organizers to move the presidential inauguration indoors on Mondaywho is also Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Areas made wet and slick by the storm will be at risk of freezing solid Monday with little or no natural thaw expected by midweek.

More winter storms brewing in the southern states will be watched closely for a trip up the Atlantic coast next week as well.

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