It could move out to sea or become a “big” late weekend snowstorm on the East Coast.
As of the afternoon of February 17, top computer models continued to dig into weather data to determine the direction and intensity of the storm, which was still days away from the East Coast. For now, models don’t agree.
“While confidence in the storm is reasonably high, the timing, track and exact… weather impacts remain highly uncertain,” the National Weather Service said in an online forecast discussion posted at 2:29 p.m. ET on February 17.
The latest European weather models show “little to no precipitation across the mid-Atlantic to the northeast,” the weather service said. However, another model, the European AI model called EC-AIFS, “consistently showed a fairly classic Nor’easter setting for the region.”
Grand Slam ‘Snowstorm’?
Forecaster and WeatherTrader meteorologist Ryan Maue said in an email to USA TODAY that the chance of a major nor’easter appears to be increasing, with the potential for “heavy snowfall.”
“A major storm could develop out of the southeastern United States and emerge from the mid-Atlantic, either (1) heading east out to sea or (2) developing well near New England,” causing snow along the I-95 corridor, Mauer said.
He said the models should be agreed by February 18. “The system has a time frame of 5 to 6 days, so track predictability should be good tomorrow [Feb. 18] — which means we either lock in a blizzard or send it out to sea,” he said, adding that he preferred the artificial intelligence model, which showed blizzards northeast of the East Coast.
A winter storm is possible across the Northeast this coming weekend.
AccuWeather Forecast
AccuWeather senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said, “There will be a potential storm on Sunday. [Feb. 22] to monday [Feb. 23] There is the potential for heavy snowfall across a large swath of the Northeastern United States, including New York City, Boston and Philadelphia. “
“The storm in the eastern Pacific off the coast of British Columbia still has the potential to bring more snow to parts of the Northeast later this weekend,” Sosnowski continued in the online forecast. “The situation is complicated and may not necessarily bring snow to large cities along the Interstate 95 corridor.”
stay tuned
The Bureau of Meteorology’s afternoon forecast concluded, “Confidence is growing about a coastal low early Sunday and Monday. If this scenario materializes, heavy coastal rain and inland snow are possible from the mid-Atlantic to New England, with strong winds possible near the coast that could cause coastal flooding.”
“The specifics of the intensity and track of this low remain uncertain but will have a direct impact on the extent and intensity of inland precipitation, so please stay tuned for further updates on this event.”
Doyle Rice is a national correspondent for USA TODAY, covering weather and climate.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Weekend blizzard? The weather forecast says there could be “heavy snow”
