A powerful winter storm is poised to bring heavy snow, ice, and rain to much of the northeastern United States from Monday night through Tuesday, with millions of residents under winter weather advisories. This comes on the heels of significant travel disruption caused by another major storm across the Midwest over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
Storm Path and Expected Impact
The system is forecast to develop over the Gulf states before tracking up the eastern seaboard, with the bulk of the precipitation arriving in the Northeast later on Monday. The National Weather Service has issued winter storm warnings and advisories for Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine.
Meteorologists predict the heaviest snowfall will blanket an area from the Poconos to eastern Maine, with accumulations of five to ten inches expected between Monday and Tuesday night. Higher elevation parts of New England could see over a foot of snow. Most of the heavy snow should taper off by Tuesday night, with clearer conditions expected by Wednesday.
Thanksgiving Weekend Chaos in the Midwest
This new threat follows a weekend of severe weather-related problems for travellers in the Midwest and Great Lakes region. The previous storm led to hundreds of flight cancellations, thousands of delays, and several serious road accidents.
Chicago's O'Hare airport recorded 8.4 inches of snow on Saturday, marking the city's snowiest November day since records began. Dozens of flights remained affected into Monday, with dangerous commuting conditions persisting in some areas. Snow also fell across parts of Michigan, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska.
First Major Snow for Many
Andrew Orrison, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, told the Associated Press that while the Great Lakes snow was easing, the new storm heading for the mid-Atlantic and Northeast would bring "significant" snowfall by Tuesday. "It's going to be the first snowfall of the season for many of these areas, and it's going to be rather significant," Orrison stated. He noted that major cities were likely to be spared the worst of the accumulations.
Authorities are urging caution. A warning for coastal Maine, active from Tuesday morning until Wednesday morning, advises residents to "delay all travel if possible." In Pennsylvania, crews began treating lanes along the 565-mile Pennsylvania Turnpike system on Monday, with vehicle restrictions on many eastern interstates set for 5 a.m. on Tuesday.
In a lighter note amidst the preparations, New Hampshire's Department of Transportation invited the public to submit names for its second annual "name-a-plow" competition, with last year's winning entry being "Ctrl-Salt-Delete."
