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Prior to the storm’s arrival, the Big Apple had already picked up nearly twice its normal snowfall with nearly 33.8 inches compared to a normal of 17.1 inches from Dec. 1 to Feb. 17. New York City will be in the thick of the heaviest snowfall with 6 to 10 inches of snow predicted in Manhattan.
AccuWeather Global Weather Center – February 18, 2021 – Yet another massive winter storm got underway in the Northeast on Wednesday night as heavy snow shifted across the region. New York City is expected to be right in the heart of the snowstorm, which AccuWeather forecasters say will be the last in a veritable freight train of weather systems. The long-duration storm could snarl travel and cut power as it continues to pound the region Thursday through Friday, unleashing a host of weather hazards.
Farther south along the I-95 corridor, snow was coming down fast on Thursday. More than half a foot of snow piled up in King of Prussia, a suburb located to the north and west of Philadelphia, by Thursday morning.
An intense snow band with rates greater than an inch an hour shifted northward from central New Jersey and crept toward New York City, a city that is no stranger to heavy snowfalls this winter. Prior to the storm’s arrival, the Big Apple had already picked up nearly twice its normal snowfall with nearly 33.8 inches compared to a normal of 17.1 inches from Dec. 1 to Feb. 17.
New York City will be in the thick of the heaviest snowfall with 6 to 10 inches of snow predicted in Manhattan.
A broader swath of 6-12 inches of snow is expected to occur from northeastern West Virginia through central Massachusetts and perhaps the southern tier of New Hampshire. An AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 18 inches is predicted in this zone.
Farther south, a snowfall accumulation of 3 to 6 inches is forecast in Philadelphia, where mixing with sleet will limit snow totals. Just north and west in the suburbs, heavier snowfall amounts of 6-12 inches have been forecast and were being achieved.
Snowfall climbed above the average pace for the season during mid-February in the City of Brotherly Love. As of Feb. 17, Philadelphia has recorded 19.7 inches of snow so far compared to the normal amount of 15.4 inches since Dec. 1.
So far this season, snowfall totals have been lagging in the nation’s capital. A mere 4.7 inches of snow fell in Washington, D.C., ahead of the late-week storm. On average, the nation’s capital picks up 11.5 inches of snow from Dec. 1 to Feb. 17, according to the National Weather Service. The storm late this week could unload 1 to 3 inches, plus an icy mix.
A mix of freezing rain and sleet is anticipated near the storm’s center, where mild air will ride over top of cold air at the surface. Even farther south, a disruptive and dangerous ice storm will unfold across much of Virginia and parts of North Carolina and West Virginia.
The worst of the storm may occur through the midday hours Thursday, where snowfall rates of 1-2 inches per hour are possible along the Interstate-95 corridor of the mid-Atlantic.
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