All signs point to a rapidly moving winter storm that will impact the I-95 corridor while the morning rush hour just begins.
The winter storm will approach from the Tennessee River Valley this afternoon and evening with increasing cloud cover. Winds will veer to the north at 5 to 10 mph and temperatures will begin to fall back into the 20s and 30s.
Precipitation will begin to develop between 10 PM to 12 AM tonight with some light snow flurries over eastern Pennsylvania and western New Jersey. A mix of rain and sleet with snow will be possible along the immediate coast.
From 12 AM to 2 AM Friday, a new secondary low-pressure system off the Delmarva Peninsula will start to become the primary low-pressure system with a new area of precipitation forming along the coast. Light to moderate snow will gradually become widespread throughout the region as the new precipitation shield develops. Along the immediate coast, a winter mix of snow, sleet, and rain will mix over to snow. Winds will back to the northwest at 5 to 15 mph. Temperatures will continue to fall into the mid to upper 20s over the interior and lower to mid-30s along the coast.
From 2 AM to 4 AM Friday, the new primary low-pressure system will intensify over the New Jersey coastal waters which will cause the precipitation shield to solidify. All the precipitation will be snow at this point. A band of moderate to heavy snowfall will organize over southeastern New Jersey through central New Jersey into Long Island. Light to moderate snow will continue to the west of this band.
From 4 AM to 6 AM Friday, intense heavy snow will develop from southeastern New Jersey through central New Jersey into Long Island with snowfall rates of 1″ to 2″ per hour at times. There is potential for some isolated thunder-snow in this band along with visibility to below one mile. Further to the west, the snow shield will feature light to moderate snow, however, due to the intense nature of the snow band on the coast, some breaks in the snow shield, especially over eastern Pennsylvania and northwestern New Jersey can be expected.
From 6 AM to 8 AM Friday, the low-pressure system is already moving towards the New England coastal waters. The intense snow band will follow and push off the New Jersey coast while the band over Long Island shifts towards southern New England and the Boston metropolitan area. Light snow will start to come to an end over eastern Pennsylvania, western New Jersey, and the Catskills.
From 8 AM to 10 AM Friday, snow will exit the entire region from west to east with clearing skies followed right behind. Cold yet dry conditions are expected the rest of the day after the steady snow comes to an end.
