The second of five storms that will slam the eastern half of the United States with snow and ice over the next two weeks is on its way, and it will bring more snow than the first.
The first storm, which passed through the Midwest and Northeast on Wednesday and Thursday, brought deadly severe weather, life-threatening flooding, and dangerous ice and snow.
The next storm hit the West Coast late Thursday and will race east through the northern Rockies on Friday. It will move so quickly that it will be coast-to-coast in less than 72 hours, dumping heavy snow on the Midwest and Northeast Saturday night and Sunday.
The National Weather Service predicts that “a swath of disruptive & hazardous wintry weather” will affect over 80 million people in the United States during the Super Bowl weekend.
The jet stream, which is essentially a river of air in the atmosphere, is driving the storms. It has formed a nearly perfect line from west to east and will continue to funnel fast-moving storms across the northern tier of the Lower 48.
New storms will arrive every few days until the jet stream shifts, which may not happen until mid-February. As a result, some parts of the East, including Boston and New York City, may see more snowfall over the next two weeks than the previous two winters combined.
The next storm will bring snow to the northern Plains and Upper Midwest early Saturday morning. Precipitation will increase as the storm is aided by atmospheric energy to the south. By Saturday morning, a mix of rain and freezing rain will have spread from Missouri to the central Appalachians, with snow falling over the Great Lakes.
The storm will drop 3 to 6 inches of snow across central Minnesota and central Michigan. Lower snow totals are expected south of this heavy snowfall: Chicago could receive less than an inch of slush, while Detroit may receive an inch.
It could be dry between the two areas of wintry precipitation Saturday morning, spanning from Chicago to Cleveland. By the afternoon, these dry areas will have been filled with an icy mixture.
By Saturday evening, a mix of freezing rain, sleet, and snow will have spread across Pennsylvania. Shortly after, the same messy mix will spread to New Jersey, New York City, and Long Island. For much of New England and Upstate New York, snow accumulations will exceed those from Thursday’s storm.
Snowfall of at least 6 inches is possible from central New York to southern Maine, as well as much of southern New England. Snowfall could reach double digits from Syracuse, New York to Boston.
Boston could be buried in a foot of snow Saturday night and Sunday, more than all of last winter combined. In just over three years, the city has not experienced double-digit snowfall on a single day.
Much of the Northeast will see the storm pass by mid-morning on Sunday. Snow may linger into the early afternoon in Maine and coastal New England.
Many more storms will come
There will be only a brief respite in winter weather in the East beginning next week before yet another storm.
The exact timing and extent of next week’s winter weather are still unknown, but a widespread storm could form in the Plains as early as Monday evening. It will strengthen, and precipitation will fall across much of the eastern half of the United States overnight Monday and Tuesday.
It’s unclear how far north snow, sleet, and freezing rain will spread, but the storm could hit anywhere from the Mississippi and Tennessee valleys to the Midwest and Northeast.
Another very similar storm could form in the Plains shortly after midweek. The first storm of next week will influence how this one develops and moves, so more specific forecast details will not be available until next week.
That is not all. Another cross-country storm could form next weekend, bringing additional snow and ice to the eastern half of the United States.
Snowfall will increase rapidly as storm after storm hits the Northeast, which has not happened in recent years.
Boston should receive approximately 3 feet of snow each winter, but less than 2 feet fell in the previous two winters combined. This upcoming stretch could bring 1 to 2 feet of snow to the city, depending on the storm’s final path.
A similar situation could occur in New York City. The city received less than 10 inches of snow in the previous two winters, but that amount could increase during this busy stretch.
