Multiple rounds of storms are expected to leave behind a wintry mixture of rain, snow and ice. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI |
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An active weather pattern is shaping up to impact the Northwest well past the Christmas holiday. Multiple rounds of storms are expected to leave behind a wintry mixture of rain, snow and ice, combining to create an array of holiday travel hazards.
AccuWeather meteorologists say the storms will move along quickly and arrive every day or two. No individual storm in the pattern is expected to put down significant precipitation, but the continued impacts will greatly slow down travel and slick roadways, AccuWeather meteorologist Dean DeVore said.
"On the heels of the sneaky, slippery snow event for parts of the Northeast and New England Thursday night into early Friday, a couple more quick-hitting waves of low pressure will cause some wintry concerns through the weekend into early next week," he said.
This setup is expected to remain in place right through early next week, putting the Northeast directly in the path of storms ejecting out of the Western states and into the eastern half of the country.
The jet stream configuration across the United States over the past few days has featured a large southward plunge across the Western states and a general west-to-east alignment across the Midwest and Northeast. The jet stream can be thought of as the train tracks along which storms travel, as it generally separates areas of contrasting temperatures.
The next storm in the lineup will arrive Friday night and last through Christmas Day. Forecasters expect most areas that received a light snowfall prior to Christmas Eve to be on the receiving end of an icy mix of precipitation before a transition to mostly rain. This storm will drag in milder air a few thousand feet above the ground, which will lead to the mixture of sleet and freezing rain, as opposed to all snow.
"Icy conditions will likely pop up in southern New England late Christmas Eve into Christmas morning with freezing rain the main culprit," DeVore said.
People heading out in northeastern Pennsylvania and eastern New York state can also contend with a period of slippery travel late Friday night into Saturday morning.
Some Northeast residents woke up to a white Christmas Eve as a disturbance swept through on Thursday night and brought a general coating to a few inches of snow from portions of central Pennsylvania through New York state and into southern New England.
Many roads were left slippery with a covering of snow, and accidents were reported around the New York City, Providence, R.I., and Boston metro areas. Along parts of Interstate 90 in Massachusetts, speed restrictions were put in place.
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| Snow created a white Christmas Eve scene in Torrington, Connecticut, Friday morning. (Image/Tyler Roys) |
For the vast majority of the region, Christmas Day will be rainy and mild with no snow in sight. People heading out to family gatherings or other festive events from Cleveland to Pittsburgh and New York will face the steadiest rainfall and times of reduced visibility on the roadways.
Enough cold air can wrap in behind this storm to contribute to a period of accumulating snowfall in portions of New England late Saturday night and Sunday morning. For most post-Christmas travelers in the region, Sunday will feature drier weather, though forecasters say it will be quite windy, which can add some extra bumps along the journey for airline passengers.
By this time, the next storm will already be eyeing the region.
"Another system could push through the Northeast into New England later Sunday night into Monday morning, with areas seeing some snow mixing with sleet and rain," DeVore said, adding that areas near the coast may go over to all rain by the afternoon hours.
Pennsylvania and New York will be the most likely areas for slick travel on Monday morning, but there may be enough chilly air behind the weekend storm for a period of ice to occur as far south as some of the northwestern suburbs of Baltimore and Washington, D.C., and as far east as the New York City metro area.
Forecasters say the weather will be rinse-and-repeat for the Northeast through the middle of the week, with yet another storm expected to arrive by Tuesday night.
Motorists are reminded to exercise caution on the roadways throughout the pattern, especially during the overnight and early morning hours when it's more difficult to spot a layer of ice on the roadways. Bridges and overpasses are typically the first road surfaces to turn icy when any wintry precipitation occurs.
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com.
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