A major winter storm is currently affecting a 1500-mile stretch from west to east and a 250-mile stretch from north to south. The Interstate 70 corridor, as well as other major interstates from Kansas to Virginia, will be severely impacted.
Blizzard warnings are in effect for Eastern Kansas and Northern Missouri, with up to 18 inches of snow on top of a quarter to a half inch of ice accumulation.
Heavy snowfalls of 8 to 12 inches or more are expected across much of Missouri and Kentucky, southern Illinois and Indiana, the southern half of Ohio, all of West Virginia and Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, southern Pennsylvania, and southern New Jersey.
The powerful storm will move across the Lower Ohio Valley later today, then into the Middle Atlantic states Monday.
Winter Storm Warnings are in effect for areas spanning Southern New Jersey and Southeastern Pennsylvania southward into Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia, as well as Winter Weather Advisories in Central New Jersey near Interstates 195 and 78.
Snow is expected to fall in the Washington, DC/Baltimore area tonight, then spread northward into Southeastern Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey overnight.
During Monday morning, the northern edge of the snow may reach NYC and Long Island, but areas in Northern NJ north of Route 78 to Long Island and the lower Hudson Valley may see a coating or more, but the accumulating snows will be farther south.
We believe that Southern New Jersey and Southeast Pennsylvania will receive several to six inches of rain, with six inches or more falling further south into Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia.
This storm is unusual in that the low pressure storm center is tracking almost directly eastward, with little northward motion. As a result, there are sharp cutoffs of heavy snow to the north and south over a 1500-mile stretch.
Areas along the track in Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, and Virginia will experience a wide area of 12 inches or more, as well as heavy ice accumulation in many areas.
The weather will be fine today, with sunshine giving way to clouds across Eastern Pennsylvania and Southern New England. Today’s highs will be in the low to mid-30s at best.
The clouds will thicken tonight as we focus our attention on low pressure moving east from Kentucky and heading for Southern Virginia. This low is being forced eastward by a strong blocking low to the northeast in the North Atlantic.
On Monday, the northern edge of the snowfall will reach Northern New Jersey, New York City, and Long Island. It won’t last long; by afternoon, the snow will begin to shift south and east.
Heavier accumulations of snow will continue into the afternoon in South Central, Southeast Pennsylvania, Southern New Jersey, and Delaware, but they should also begin to fade west to east. While it is snowing, temperatures will be in the 20s tonight and in the upper 20s to near or slightly above 30 on Monday.
By Tuesday, we will see improved weather conditions with very cold temperatures during the day. Tuesday through Thursday, highs will only reach the upper 20s and lower 30s. Nighttime lows will be in the teens in most places, with single digits in the coldest areas mid and late in the week.
