The next round of winter weather is on the way for the U.S., impacting at least 25 states and bringing snow showers as far south as North Carolina and Tennessee, while lake-effect snowbelts in the Midwest and interior Northeast are once again in the bull’s eye for highest accumulations.
Originally, forecasters predicted that a large clipper system that is heading towards the Great Lakes region on Tuesday would fuel a complex winter storm and bring intense snowfall throughout the East.
But before the system moves into the region, a surge of warm air will turn most of the precipitation into rain instead of snow. That rain will then move over the East Coast by Wednesday.
As the fast-moving clipper continues to head south, the cold front behind the system will become the primary driver for the rain and snow.
While this new setup limits the potential of a powerful snowstorm, it is still expected that many areas will be impacted, including parts of the Ohio Valley that may see some snow showers.
Farther east, depending on how quickly colder air arrives and how much moisture lingers, a few snow showers could happen. But accumulation is less likely due to the warmer and wetter conditions ahead of the system.
The brief burst of snow could create sudden travel issues if visibility drops quickly.
Locations along the I-95 corridor are expected to see minimal impacts.
As the system shifts east, the colder air moving in behind it will support lake-effect and lake-enhanced snow near the Great Lakes, along with upslope snow across the Appalachians.
The Lake Michigan shoreline in Michigan westward toward the Indiana-Illinois border will be greatly impacted, especially if the wind changes from southerly to northerly.
The FOX Forecast Center said that snow will begin late Wednesday through Thursday, bringing moderate to heavy snowfall with totals between 8 and 12 inches.
The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Watch for the southern shore of Lake Michigan, including South Bend, Indiana, from Wednesday through Thursday.
Lake Superior near Marquette, as well as Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, parts of northern Pennsylvania and Upstate New York will experience lake-effect and lake-enhanced snowfall as well.
There is still some uncertainty about the wind direction, specifically whether the wind will shift from northerly or northwesterly. If wind orientation changes, it will alter which areas see the heaviest snowfall.
The storm will start to make its way through the Appalachians starting late on Wednesday, mostly affecting the mountain region.
As the winds move northwest, snow showers will increase into early Thursday. The upslope snow will occur in the high terrain from the Tennessee and North Carolina border, northward into West Virginia and along the highest peak of the Applications.
The FOX Forecast Center predicts some areas west of the mountains could see light snow while areas east of the mountains may only see a few light rain showers.
At this time, heavy, widespread snow is unlikely outside the highest elevations since temperatures there will be too warm.
Most of the accumulating snow will happen from early Wednesday and through Thursday morning. Then it will taper to flurries by Thursday afternoon.
