- The storm system will bring snow to the west and northeast of the mountains.
- Snow is expected to reach as far south as West Texas.
- Due to the lack of cold air, snowfall is likely to be limited to the central part of the country.
- Snow is expected to fall in parts of the Northeast, but it's unclear where and how much.
Snow is expected to return to the Northeast, including parts of the New York City metropolitan area, early next week, but the forecast is uncertain after a system dumped snow on parts of the Rocky Mountains and plains this weekend.
Northeast Forecast Timeline
Precipitation is expected to begin as rain in the Mid-Atlantic states as early as Sunday night or Monday.
However, the low pressure system will strengthen starting Monday night and should bring enough cold air to turn the rain into snow.
Snow could continue Tuesday from southern New England to the mid-Atlantic states before the storm passes by Tuesday evening.
(map: 7-day national forecast rain, snow, temperature)
How much snow is there?
As is typical for most systems in the East during the winter months, uncertainties such as the speed at which the storm is moving and its exact path make snowfall predictions difficult.
The map below shows the current snow forecast for the Northeast. Both the location and amount of snowfall could change over the next few days as the system refines computer forecast models. There is growing confidence that more than 5 inches of snow could accumulate along some stretches of Interstate 95 from New York to Boston.
For now, the forecast is for affected areas in the Northeast to see a chance of snow during the Tuesday morning commute. If the storm slows down, it could continue into the afternoon. Flights could also be delayed at major hubs in the northeast on Tuesday.
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Snow and rain forecast
(Although it's too far out to pinpoint exact snowfall forecasts, areas with dark blue, purple, and pink contours are likely to see higher snowfall totals.)
snow drought
It's been another dry winter in the Northeast, but it's probably been at least two weeks since the last time it snowed.
Boston, New York City, and Pittsburgh are each at least 15 inches short of their season-to-date snowfall through February 8. New York's 2.3 inches is slightly above the record-low pace set a year ago, when it was just 0.4 inches. It was falling.
The most beautiful is Syracuse, New York, covered in snow. While their season total of 28 inches is impressive, this is 55 inches, or more than 4.5 feet, behind their average pace. This is the lowest season total in 91 years.
Comparison of seasonal snowfall (since autumn) in three northeastern cities up to February 8, 2024 with the cumulative seasonal average snowfall.
(Data: NOAA/NWS, Graph: Infogram)
western plains snow
This storm system will bring snow to the Rocky Mountains, parts of the Plains, and the Midwest this weekend and into Monday before it reaches the East.
Below are the latest winter warnings issued by the National Weather Service.
Snow in the Rocky Mountains will continue into Saturday night, spreading into parts of the high country on Saturday and continuing into Sunday.
More than 6 inches of snow could accumulate in parts of the frontal zone from Colorado to New Mexico. This includes the Denver-Boulder-Fort Collins metropolitan corridor. Parts of the Texas Panhandle are also expected to experience locally significant rainfall. Snow and slippery travel is expected in these areas this weekend.
A lack of cold air will keep snow accumulation further east into the Plains and Midwest minimal Sunday night into Monday. Approximately 1 inch of patchy muddy accumulation is possible in the Ozarks of southern Missouri and northwest Arkansas. That could make Monday's trip slippery.
Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com, where he has covered national and international weather since 1996. His lifelong love of meteorology began when he encountered a tornado as a child in Wisconsin. He earned a bachelor's degree in physics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and then earned his master's degree in dual polarization radar and lightning data research from Colorado State University. Extreme and bizarre weather is his favorite topic.please contact him X (old Twitter), thread, Facebook and blue sky.
The primary journalistic mission of The Weather Company is to report on the latest weather news, the environment, and the importance of science to our lives.
