Doug Simonian

Blizzard 2017 Storm Overview, Hazards, and Preparation

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Good afternoon! It is becoming more clear by the hour that a major winter storm with blizzard conditions will be impacting the area late in the overnight and into Tuesday. Extreme snowfall rates — 2 to 5″ per hour — are possible on Tuesday morning, as well as wind gusts up to 50mph. This will dramatically reduce visibilities below 1/4th and even below 1/8th of a mile or lower at times. This may also lead to some power outages, so be sure to be prepared with flashlights, batteries, a full tank of gasoline, and charged phones.

The storm has trended slightly warmer for coastal locations, with faster timing — but stronger dynamics away from the immediate coast has elevated the potential for extremely heavy snow and severe impacts. Even coastal areas will still see very heavy snow before a quicker changeover to sleet and rain — but less snow than inland areas. This video below has all of the details regarding the storm’s evolution, impacts, and meteorological explanation behind why the snow will be so heavy. Stay tuned for further updates!

Steven Copertino

3/12 PM All Zones Update: High-Impact Blizzard Likely Tuesday Into Wednesday

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Today has been what some may call the “calm before the storm”, as the day has been characterized by mostly sunny conditions across the entire area with temperatures only in the upper 20’s to low 30’s, which is below normal for this time of year. We have also seen some gusty winds across the area thanks to isobaric packing between an Arctic high pressure system centered over the central Canadian prairies and a deep low pressure system off of the eastern Canadian maritime region. As this low pressure continues to the east, winds should gradually diminish this evening as the high pressure from Canada takes control. Tonight should be an excellent night for steep radiational cooling. Under mostly clear skies and light winds, temperatures will be able to fall into the upper single digits for inland locations and teens for the rest of the region, so another very cold night is expected.

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John Homenuk

Blizzard likely Tuesday with widespread significant snowfall

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A powerful Nor’Easter is expected to develop off the coast of Mid Atlantic late Monday Night, strengthening and moving to a position southeast of Long Island on Tuesday. Bands of extremely heavy snowfall are expected to rotate inland from the strong storm system, impacting a large majority of the Northeast United States from Washington, DC to Boston — and most areas in between. Snowfall amounts are expected to be significant over a large area.

The storm system is developing as a result of a complex interaction in the mid and upper levels of the atmosphere, and some uncertainty still exists in regards to the exact track of the storm system. However, confidence is higher than normal that the storm system itself will bring significant impacts. We suggest planning ahead and adjusting your schedule as necessary to accommodate for significantly impactful weather on Tuesday. We’ve laid out a breakdown of the storm system below.

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Miguel Pierre

FREE 3/12 AM All Zones Update: Blizzard Likely Late Monday Night and Tuesday

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A very cold airmass with well below normal temperatures continues to be over the region over the next few days. Today (Sunday), some instability in the atmosphere will cause some clouds to mix with sunshine with a few flurries possible again. But winds are expected to be lighter out of the northwest. So it won’t feel as harsh as yesterday. Temperatures should rise into the upper 20s to lower 30s. Overnight lows tonight will be the single digits and lower to middle teens over the region, as high pressure sitting overhead and calming winds support ideal radiational cooling conditions. On Monday, high pressure over will support plenty of sunshine during the morning hours. Then more high clouds will start increasing during the afternoon from the southwest. High temperatures will be a little warmer in the low to mid 30s.

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