Developing Winter Storm Expected to Impact Power and Travel in Mid-Atlantic and Northeast

The National Weather Service and weather forecasting organizations are predicting a major winter storm for portions of the Mid-Atlantic and New England beginning tomorrow. The storm is expected to bring heavy snow, strong winds, and some coastal flooding that will likely cause power outages and travel disruptions across much of the Mid-Atlantic, southeastern New York, and southern New England. The storm could bring some areas more snow in a day or two than they saw all of last winter, with totals potentially reaching a foot or more. The heaviest snow totals are most likely in a zone from the West Virginia panhandle into northern and western Maryland, eastern Pennsylvania, northern New Jersey, the Lower Hudson Valley and parts of southern New England. Additionally, in parts of the Appalachians and adjacent Piedmont of Virginia, West Virginia and the western Carolinas, accumulating ice is expected beginning Wednesday morning. These ice accumulations will make most untreated roads hazardous, particularly bridges and overpasses. Some parts of southern Virginia and western North Carolina could pick up heavier ice accumulations capable of downing tree limbs and triggering power outages. Read the forecasts at the National Weather Service and the Weather Channel.

WaterISAC has also posted today’s FEMA Daily Operations Briefing below. It includes a slide briefly discussing the storm’s forecast and federal, state, and local preparations.