AccuWeather Forecasters are closely monitoring a storm that is likely to bring a swath of accumulating snow from parts of the Midwest to the Northeast early next week.
Where and how much snow falls will depend on the strength of the storm, which can fluctuate, and the storm's track, which can shift north and south over the next few days.
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In the short term, temperatures will be on the rise after an Atlantic storm buried Nova Scotia under feet of snow earlier this week. A stream of dry air to the west of this storm has already delivered sunny days and cold nights across much of the central and eastern United States.
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This wide-view image, taken Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024, shows a massive storm over the North Atlantic (right) and the storm that hit California with a large atmospheric river breaking up over the western United States (left) . A mostly cloudless wedge can be seen in the eastern US (left of center). (AccuWeather Enhanced RealVue™ Satellite) |
As this Atlantic storm moves away, a southwesterly airflow will extend from the central states eastward into Friday.
By the weekend, highs will range from the 40s F in northern New England to the 50s around the Great Lakes, the central Appalachians, and the upper mid-Atlantic to the 60s across much of part of the Ohio Valley and southern states.
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However, the clock will tick on the warmer weather pattern once it starts.
“While January's thaw and break from the stormy pattern extended into early February, there will be a change in the pattern with a potentially dangerous storm swinging across the Midwest and Northeast states Monday into Tuesday,” said AccuWeather meteorologist Dean DeVore. .
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First, the South Central and Southeastern states will experience a return of cloud and rain focused this weekend.
The storm potential DeVore is hinting at includes a band of accumulating snow that may first appear in parts of the southern High Plains on Sunday and extend across parts of the mid-Mississippi Valley into the Ohio Valley Sunday night into Monday . However, the amount of snow falling in this area could be limited as the air may not be cold enough, resulting in more raindrops than snowflakes.
The best chance for several inches of snow and slick travel will be centered near the Ozark Mountains in southern Missouri.
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“Cooler air will gradually drift into this storm as it moves from the central states to the East Coast,” said AccuWeather On-Air Chief Meteorologist Bernie Rayno. “How quickly that happens will depend on how quickly the storm strengthens.”
If the storm remains weak, it will likely run eastward with only light accumulations of snow from the Ohio Valley into the central and southern Appalachians and perhaps a wintry mix in the mid-Atlantic late Monday into Tuesday.
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If the storm organizes and strengthens, it would track further north to create a widening band of accumulated snow from the central Appalachians to New England, with heavy rain and thunderstorms to the south.
Both the heavy rainfall and light rainfall scenarios are still playing out. Most of that would still allow some snow to fall from the Ohio Valley into parts of the Appalachians.
AccuWeather has released a forecast snow accumulation map for the Northeast that represents the input of its dozens of meteorologists with hundreds of years of combined experience.
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Should the storm develop to its full potential, parts of the Northeast could experience heavy snowfall, and some people may spend the first part of Valentine's Day digging out or dealing with potential travel delays in the storm's wake.
“One thing is certain, this storm will begin a pattern that will bring colder, more active weather from the Midwest to the Northeast with enhanced intakes of seasonally cold air masses with the potential for some clipper systems to bring snowfall,” said DeVore.
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