2 storm chances for East Coast

The Southern Storm is the big story with winter weather expected to impact from Texas to the Eastern Seaboard, leaving the first storm expected to form off the coast of the Carolina’s pretty much no attention attention.

This weak system is expected to slide up the coast and bring some rain to Eastern North Carolina with light snow from areas of Nebraska into Kentucky to Delaware and New Jersey ahead of the Southern Storm.  Matt has posted a handy map of the Winter Weather Advisories that are currently in place as this weak system moves across the country toward the coast.   This system will combine with the low shown above and slowly intensify as it moves to the Southeast of New England.  This system will bring snow into Southeastern New England with light accumulations during the early morning hours of Friday into Friday afternoon.    Early activity will likely be in the form of snow showers which may limit to coverage area of overall snowfall but the biggest problem to accumulating snow will be the warmth of the ground.   Any snow that does manage to stick will have a difficult time remaining in place for long, with the one thing that may save some areas from an instant melt being the cold temperatures on the way following this system.

Southern Storm

For the main event, which have been covered well by Chris and Matt for the Southern areas that’s will be impacted, the Southern storm looks like it’ll be wide right for many of our readers.  As seen in the previous articles, the system forms in the South and slides off the coast of the Carolina’s, leaving the heavier snow totals expected for that region.  the uncertainty in the speed and exact track of this system is causing some forecast issues, but aside from some lake effect snows  caused by the general flow pattern in the Great Lakes region, this second system looks to leave readers across most of Kentucky, West Virginia, Western and Central Pennsylvania back towards Ohio high and dry.

The above model data is for 1 PM Saturday.   It shows the storm after it has left Georgia and areas further west and does not indicate that it will not snow there at all.  Just that it will not be snowing there at this particular point in time.

Watching the strength and track

The key question to the track of this system will be the strength of the lows and the energy brought into the pattern.  A strong set up will include more of the Eastern portions of the U.S while a weaker pattern will deprive even New England of any snowfall.  Despite the impressive moisture associated with this system, guidance is now really strengthening these lows very much.   For anyone along the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, please read the articles Matt and Chris put out about the south to stay informed about this system.   The information they have will be invaluable for track this system up the coast over time.   I’ll be around to keep you up to dat on all the latest for this system and its impacts for this region.   So keep an eye on both facebook and the website for further details.

Robert Millette

Firsthand Weather