Heavy snow ahead for New England

It's been a rough start to the winter across the East, but that is finally starting to change, at least across the Northeast. A storm will bring heavy snow to New England on Friday with another one to follow on Sunday and Monday. More storms are possible after that as well.

Here is one model's snowfall projection for the next 5 days from Friday to Tuesday:

Forecast for Fri, Jan 20 – Sat, Jan 21:

Moderate to heavy snow will fall across New England on Friday with a changeover from rain/mixed precipitation to snow further south in New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

Out West, a weak storm over the Southwest will bring light to moderate snow to the Four Corners region, while a stronger storm will bring heavy snow to the Coast Range of Alaska and Northern BC with light to moderate snow reaching Southwest BC and the Washington Cascades on Saturday. 

Forecast for Sun, Jan 22 – Mon, Jan 23:

The next storm will impact the East on Sunday and Monday with all-snow expected from roughly Northern Pennsylvania northward (excluding coastal regions) while areas from Southern Pennsylvania to North Carolina will start as mixed precipitation or rain before changing over to snow on Monday. New England will see the deepest totals once again.

Out West, a weak storm will slide from northwest to southeast across the Cascades and into the Rockies with most of the snow falling near the Continental Divide as the storm moves southward. Most areas will see only light amounts, but locally higher totals are possible for some areas east of the Divide in Montana.

Further north, another strong storm will bring heavy snow to the coastal ranges of Alaska and Northwest BC.

Forecast for Tue, Jan 24 – Wed, Jan 25:

New England could potentially see some snow showers on Tuesday as a weak disturbance moves through, then a stronger storm will move across the Upper Midwest and Northeast on Wednesday with more snow expected, though mixed precipitation could be more of an issue with this storm. 

Another storm is expected to slide from northwest to southeast down the spine of the Rockies with light snow expected for most areas at this time. Stronger storms will continue to impact Alaska and Northern BC with heavier snow expected.

Outlook for Thu, Jan 26 – Mon, Jan 30:

A similar pattern is expected during this period with storms favoring the Northeast and the Great Lakes, while a northwest flow pattern out west will continue to support weak storms for the Rockies. Temperatures will be colder than average across most of North America during this period, except along the West Coast and up into Alaska where temperatures will be near to slightly above average.

Thanks so much for reading! Next update on Monday (Jan 23).

ALAN SMITH