Maybe it’s time to tune up that old snowblower that’s been sitting in your garage.
If the early forecast issued by AccuWeather late Saturday night holds up, parts of New Jersey could get blasted by more than a foot of snow from a big coastal storm expected to arrive on Wednesday and linger into early Thursday.
AccuWeather forecasters are calling for 12 to 18 inches of snow in North Jersey, 6 to 12 inches of snow in Central Jersey, 3 to 6 inches of snow in the state’s southwestern counties and mostly rain in the southeastern counties.
The forecasters are also calling for a heavy swath of snow in much of eastern Pennsylvania.
However, they note there is still a lot of uncertainty over the precise track the storm system will take, and the track will play a substantial role in which areas of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York and other eastern states get socked with the heaviest snow.
The National Weather Service has not yet issued specific snowfall predictions for New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania, but a forecaster from the weather service’s Mount Holly office said a foot of snow cannot be ruled out in some parts of the region.
Similar to the AccuWeather forecast, weather service meteorologist Robert Deal said the snowfall totals next week will be highly dependent on the storm track, as well as whether temperatures remain below the freezing mark prior to the storm and during the storm.
“The swath of heaviest snow and highest snowfall accumulation is dependent on the exact track of the storm, and small changes in where the storm tracks can lead to big changes in the amounts of snowfall for a given location,” AccuWeather senior meteorologist Tyler Roys said in a forecast published on the company’s website Saturday night.
“However, with a track near the mid-Atlantic and New England Coast looking more likely, the probability of the heaviest snow targeting parts of the mid-Atlantic and southern New England is also increasing,” he said.
Prior to Wednesday’s coastal storm, New Jersey faces the possibility of light snow from a fast-moving storm system on Monday. That storm is expected to bring 1 to 3 inches of snow to northern sections of the Garden State.
This graphic from the National Weather Service shows the expected impacts and timing of two winter storms that will be looming in eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey – one on Monday, Dec. 14, and the other on Wednesday, Dec. 16.National Weather Service
StormTeam4 from NBC4 in New York is also calling for a big snowfall accumulation in the New York City area and northern New Jersey, saying a foot or more could fall in Wednesday’s winter storm.
The forecasters also are predicting strong winds that will cause blowing and drifting snow.
Current weather radar
Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.
Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.
Comments