A large, prolonged winter storm According to multiple sources, it will affect large parts of the eastern United States from Saturday evening and early next week National Weather Service (NWS) winter storm warnings issued early Saturday.
Based on official forecast data, New York State is expected to receive the highest snowfall rates in the entire country this weekendwith some regions potentially seeing this up to two meters of snow.
The most extreme accumulations are forecast everywhere eastern New Yorkincluding the eastern Catskills, Mid-Hudson Valley and higher parts of the Berkshires and southern Green Mountainswhere snowfall totals could increase 24 inchesaccording to the National Weather Service office in Albany. Widespread snowfall total of 12 to 18 inches are expected across much of eastern New York, making it the hardest-hit state overall.
In addition, snowfall enhanced by the lake will increase the totals significantly Oswego County and the eastern Lake Ontario regionwhere the NWS Buffalo office warns about this 12 to 18 inches are possiblelarger than surrounding areas due to persistent lake effect links.
“This is one impactful, long-lasting winter storm,” the National Weather Service in Albany stated, noting that snowfall rates of one to two centimeters per hour are sometimes likely, especially on Sunday afternoons and evenings. Officials warned about this traveling will be very difficultwith snow-covered roads and reduced visibility on both the Monday morning and evening ride.
States with the highest expected snowfall
| Rank | Stands | Snowfall range forecast | Primary impact areas |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | 12-24 inches | Eastern Catskills, Hudson Valley, Lake Ontario region |
| 2 | Massachusetts | 13-19 inches | Central, Eastern and Western regions |
| 3 | Connecticut | 13-19 inches | Northern and central areas |
| 4 | Rhode Island | 13-19 inches | Statewide |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | 10-18 inches | Central and south-central regions |
| 6 | West Virginia | 12-18 inches (plus ice) | Eastern Panhandle and higher elevations |
Beyond New York, the storm will regional, multi-hazard impactsincluding strong winds, ice accumulation and dangerously cold temperatures. In Massachusetts, northern Connecticut and Rhode Islandtotal snowfall between 13 and 19 inches are expected, with wind gusts up to 35 km/h leading to blowing and blowing snow. The National Weather Service in Boston warned that travel could be a disaster “very difficult to impossible” over much of southern New England.
Further south and west, Pennsylvania braces himself 4 to 7 inches of snow in central regions, while western Maryland, western Virginia and eastern West Virginia faced with a combination of heavy snowfall, wet snow, sleet and wind gusts up to 70 km/hincreasing the risk of fallen trees and power outages.
Meteorologists emphasize that timing and perseveranceinstead of a single snowstorm, make this storm particularly dangerous. Snow is expected to spread across the region late Saturday and intensify Sunday stick around until Mondaycausing dangerous conditions to last longer.
Emergency officials in affected states are urging residents postpone your trip if possiblekeep emergency supplies on hand and closely monitor local forecasts as the storm develops.
