Three storms will beset the Northeast this week, bringing snow, rain, ice and travel mayhem to the New York area, meteorologists said Monday.
“We are looking at a parade of systems here over the next five to seven days or so,” National Weather Service meteorologist Dominic Ramunni told the Daily News on Monday.
The storms of the past weekend are just a harbinger of what’s in store since Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, presaging six more weeks of winter. The entire month is slated to be chock-full of frenetic weather, a “February frenzy” that will last through the end of the month and send a slew of storms every few days across more than 20 states, Accuweather reported.
“Snow and ice will abound from the southern Plains to the Northeast this week,” Accuweather meteorologist Lundberg said in a report. “To the south of that, there will be rounds of rain and thunderstorms, some of which can be severe.”
The first storm will arrive in New York on Tuesday, dusting the New York City area with a “glancing blow” of 1-2 inches of snow, with slightly higher accumulations south of the city. That will begin after the dinner hour, potentially snagging evening travel, Ramunni said, adding that the “worst-case scenario” would be 3-4 inches by Wednesday morning. The NWS has issued a winter storm watch for southern New Jersey, according to NJ Advance Media.
A brief dry-out period Wednesday will give us a 12- to 18-hour break, he said, before Wednesday night brings yet another potential 1-2 inches of snow before it transitions to rain on Wednesday evening into Thursday morning. Thursday will likely dry out again, though it’s slated to be a dreary, drizzly day, albeit with slightly warmer temperatures rising from the 30s on Wednesday to the low 40s by Friday.
“Then as we go into the weekend there is a substantial likelihood of another system,” Ramunni said, though Valentine’s Day should be dry and cold.
That will end sometime over the weekend, the NWS said in its forecast, with a “wintry mix” due Saturday night into Sunday.