From New York City on down the coast to Washington, D.C., weather forecasters are warning folks to be prepared for what is being forecast to be the biggest and most intense storm of the winter season, according to AccuWeather.com.
Snowfall amounts are expected to vary widely, with as much as eight inches expected to the north of the Washington D.C. area and 4 to 8 inches forecast within the Beltway. The weather service is saying up to a foot or more of the white stuff could cover a large zone that includes the northern suburbs of Philadelphia to Portland and Bangor, Maine.
As for southeastern Virginia, southeastern Maryland, southern Delaware, southern New Jersey, and Cape Cod, Massachusetts, folks can expect a mixture of rain and snow, however, should the storm track more to the East, then heavy snow would fall – So these areas are not out of the woods, yet.
On the other hand, should the storm track more to the West, then more rain will fall, especially along the Interstate-95 corridor. If this should happen, the zone for a foot or more of snow would shift to the west and impact the Interstate-81 and northern I-91 corridors,
A hard-hitting and fast storm
This storm will come at the East Coast hard and fast, and in just 12-hours could leave behind record snow amounts. Snow is expected to start in the DC area between 5 and 8 p.m. As the storm intensifies and begins its trek up the coast, strong, gusting winds reaching up to 50 mph can be expected, according to the Associated Press.
The high winds and heavy snow can snap power lines and break tree limbs, so sporadic power outages are in the picture. Traffic could grind to a halt on many highways and air travel will be impacted. Temperatures will hover in the teens, and depending upon where you are, could dip down to zero.
