New York City braces for major snowfall as storm eyes Northeast

“This storm and its predecessor a couple of days earlier, accompanied by once-in-a-generation outbreak of frigid air, has left behind an absolute mess in the South Central states and is on the move,” AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said.

AccuWeather Global Weather Center – February 17, 2021 – AccuWeather forecasters said that tens of millions of Americans in the Northeast are facing a round of travel-snarling snow and ice that could leave hundreds of thousands in the dark through the end of the week. New York City is expected to be right in the heart of the snowstorm, which will be the caboose in what has been a veritable freight train of winter storms. The system is forecast to swing through the region from Wednesday night through Friday, delivering a messy mix of weather hazards.

The storm brought heavy snow and ice to the Northwest soon after pushing in from the Pacific early this week. The system then dove across the south-central United States on Tuesday and Wednesday, unleashing another round of disruptive and heavy wintry precipitation. It now has eyes on the Northeast, as AccuWeather forecasters have been warning for days.

Winter storm warnings and winter storm watches were plastered across much of the Northeast on Wednesday in advance of the system’s arrival.

“This storm and its predecessor a couple of days earlier, accompanied by once-in-a-generation outbreak of frigid air, has left behind an absolute mess in the South Central states and is on the move,” AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said.

Winter storm warnings (blue) and winter storm watches (gray) were in effect for a substantial part of the northeastern part of the United States as of Wednesday midday, Feb. 17, 2021. (NWS/AccuWeather)

Even though the bulk of the storm may bypass the Upper Midwest and merely graze the cities of Chicago, St. Louis and Detroit with a nuisance snowfall, more substantial snow is forecast for part of the Ohio Valley into the Northeast. Motorists are reminded that even a small amount of snow can make for slippery travel and significant delays.

Cincinnati was blanketed by at least 4 inches of snow from the storm Monday and has received nearly 20 inches of snow during February alone. The average annual snowfall for the city is 24 inches, and already the seasonal total is above that mark at 27.2 inches as of Tuesday night. The storm from Wednesday to Thursday is forecast to bring 4 to perhaps 8 inches.

Snow is forecast to spread over the Northeast from Wednesday night into Thursday.

Pittsburgh, forecast by AccuWeather to pick up 3-6 inches of snow from the next storm, has received nearly two times its average snowfall through the middle of February with a total of 54 inches as of Wednesday midday.

“This one looks a little colder and the track [will be] a little farther east, which means accumulating snow,” Rayno said, comparing the storm on the way with the previous one, which brought ice and rain for coastal areas of the Northeast.

See the Full Story >>

About AccuWeather, Inc. and AccuWeather.com

AccuWeather, recognized and documented as the most accurate source of weather forecasts and warnings in the world, has saved tens of thousands of lives, prevented hundreds of thousands of injuries and tens of billions of dollars in property damage. With global headquarters in State College, PA and other offices around the world, AccuWeather serves more than 1.5 billion people daily to help them plan their lives and get more out of their day through digital media properties, such as AccuWeather.com and mobile, as well as radio, television, newspapers, and the national 24/7 AccuWeather Network channel. Additionally, AccuWeather produces and distributes news, weather content, and video for more than 180,000 third-party websites.