Winter Storm Blasts Northern Mid-Atlantic, New England | WeatherBug
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Winter Storm Blasts Northern Mid-Atlantic, New England

January 19, 2020
UPDATED By WeatherBug's Chris Sayles
Old Man Winter's latest punch comes with a winter storm that is making travel messy across the northern U.S.
 
January’s most recent winter storm fueled by the Arctic air from Canada has encompassed the Upper Midwest and Northeast today. This storm will continue to push further east tonight into early Sunday morning, prompting the chance for more snow and ice accumulation in the northern Mid-Atlantic into New England. The storm’s southern flank will continue to produce robust showers across the Deep South, while the interior Mid-Atlantic contends with freezing rain for a few more hours tonight.
 
Scattered Winter Storm Warnings and Winter Weather Advisories stretch from the Great Lakes into upper Northeast. This includes Grand Rapids, Mich., Niagra Falls, N.Y., and Boston.

New York City will end up with 2 to 3 inches of snow while 3 to 8 inches will be common in New England, the highest in this range falling west of the major cities. Snow will be heaviest this evening, but then rapidly end by Midnight. Additional ice accumulations will be minor in the northern Mid-Atlantic this evening as the system rapidly pushes away.
 
Winds in excess of 40 mph with higher gusts will accompany the snow across the northern and central Plains, Upper Mississippi Valley, Midwest and Great Lakes. This will result in blizzard and treacherous driving conditions tonight, even after the snow tapers off. Travelers should keep a watchful eye on updated forecast and prepare to delay weekend plans.
 
Wind Advisories have been posted for portions of the Ohio Valley, including Cleveland, Coldwater, Mich., and Plymouth, Ind., where sustained winds of 20 to 30 mph and wind gusts up to 50 mph are possible tonight. In addition to the gusty winds, wind chills will drop below 20 degrees below zero overnight into Sunday afternoon across the Northern Tier into the upper Mississippi Valley, prompting Wind Chill Advisories for these areas.

By Sunday, the storm will move offshore and away from the U.S., unleashing a deep pool of cold, Arctic air upon the northern Plains, Midwest, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic for much of next week. Drier weather will also move into the central and most of the eastern U.S., though lake-effect snow showers will continue to provide fresh powder to the Great Lakes snowbelts. 
 
The winter storm has a history of producing snow amounts as high as 16 inches in Hovland, Minn., 13 inches in Laurium, Mich., and 6 to 10 inches in the Northern Plains to Upper Midwest. Farther south, fewer than 6 inches have coated the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic, however, ice has accumulated one-tenth to one-quarter of an inch across the eastern Ohio Valley to the interior Mid-Atlantic.
 
If you must travel across the Northern Plains, Great Lakes or Northeast, check for road closures ahead of time and plan for delays and extra time. It is also good to keep a snow emergency kit in your vehicle. This should consist of blankets, water, non-perishable food, jumper cables, mittens, a flashlight as well as an extra cell phone charger.