Bomb the cyclone to focus most of its furious snow on Carolina

As atmospheric pressure collapses along the Atlantic coast Friday through Saturday, a bomb cyclone will be born, winds will increase dramatically and snow will fly. The main focus of snow will extend from South Carolina into southern Virginia, northern Georgia and just along the mid-Atlantic and New England coasts this weekend.

While the storm a week earlier spared the Carolinas and northern Georgia somewhat from the worst of the winter’s effects, the impending storm could make up for it in terms of snow, with the potential for some of the heaviest snowfall in decades in areas where handling an inch can spell serious trouble.

Travel may be halted as snow blocks portions of highways 26, 40, 64, 75, 77, 81, 85 and 95 from Tennessee to the Atlantic coast of the Carolinas and southern Virginia.

Accumulating snow will begin in middle Tennessee Friday afternoon and continue into Saturday as the storm heads across the state. Nashville, which was hit hard by the previous ice and snowstorm, is expected to pick up 1-3 inches of snow. Bitterly cold conditions, with temperatures in the teens and 20s by Sunday afternoon and not forecast to climb above freezing again until Monday afternoon, will keep many roads packed with snow and ice, making cleanup difficult.

The bulk of the snow in the Atlanta metro area will fall Friday night through Saturday morning, with an inch of snow expected. However, snow accumulations will increase exponentially across northeast Georgia into central and eastern North Carolina along the I-85 corridor. Heavy snow will also fall in the southern Appalachians.

Flight cancellations are likely in Atlanta. At the very least, significant delays will result from deicing operations. It’s possible that enough snow will fall in Charlotte to shut down flight operations for a while. Many regional airports in the Carolinas may be forced to close due to the significant snowstorm.

In Charlotte, the most recent storm reference was 3.5 inches on January 17, 2018, and this weekend’s storm is forecast to reach or exceed that amount. Going further back, a storm in late February 2004 was one of the largest on record, with 13.2 inches falling. In late January 2003, a storm brought 8.5 inches.

In Raleigh, a storm brought 7 inches on Dec. 9, 2018, and could be eclipsed by this weekend’s storm. The largest snowstorm on record occurred in late January 2000, when 20.3 inches of snow fell. In early January 2002, a storm brought 10.8 inches.

The worst of the storm in the Carolinas and southern Virginia will be Saturday into Saturday night, when snow could fall at an inch per hour or more at times. As the storm rapidly strengthens just off the Atlantic coast, winds will increase across the region, leading to rare blowing and drifting snow and visibility dropping to a quarter mile or less at times.

Given the limited amount of plows and chemicals available in the region and the furious pace of the storm, many roads will become snow-packed and may be blocked by stuck vehicles or accidents.

As crews focus on major highways, some back roads and city streets may be blocked for days in the wake of the storm. Schools may be closed for an extended period.

If there is one positive with this storm, unlike last weekend’s storm. The dry, powdery nature of most of the snow with this storm will not cling to trees and power lines. However, near the coasts of North and South Carolina and Virginia, winds will be strong enough to cause sporadic power outages.

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From eastern North Carolina to the southeastern corner of Virginia, a total blizzard is possible, with wind gusts to or exceeding 35 mph and snow or sleet that reduces visibility to a quarter mile or less for at least three consecutive hours.

Winds will create frequent high waves along unprotected coastal areas from North Carolina to Delmarva with moderate coastal flooding. Flooding will be worst during periods of high tide.

What will the storm bring to the Northeast?

Dry Arctic air and high pressure to the north will block the storm’s path in the Northeast, forcing accumulated snow to fall south of Washington, DC and southeast of Philadelphia and New York.

As the area of ​​high pressure north of the storm weakens later in the weekend, some snow will graze Boston, but the storm has the potential to become a blizzard in Cape Cod, Massachusetts and parts of Nova Scotia and the Atlantic Canadian island of Newfoundland.

The storm will get close enough to the I-95 corridor in the northeast to create strong, strong winds in the arctic air.

AccuWeather RealFeel® temperatures will drop 15-25 degrees below true near the Mid-Atlantic and New England coasts, as well as over wide open areas and between the concrete canyons of New York City, Philadelphia and Boston, late Saturday through Sunday. RealFeel® temperatures will drop into the single digits and sometimes below freezing.

This weekend’s raging offshore storm will trigger large waves that will reach the coast in the form of large breakers, causing beach erosion.

Wave action and the astronomical effects of the full moon will lead to coastal flooding. Where the wind is more northerly than from the northeast, much of coastal New Jersey, southern New England and New York City should be spared the worst impacts of coastal flooding.

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