As predicted and discussed over the past week or two, the final phase of our big storm system is beginning to form.
Low pressure is expected to be re-energized as a component of energy arrives from Canada and fuses with our Gulf Coast energy, which has moved north into the Ohio River Valley. As it proceeds across the western Great Lakes region, it will send its energy to the East Coast via the interior regions of New York and New Jersey.
As our new low-pressure system uses the Atlantic Ocean as a new source of energy, it will draw cold air in from Canada.
Heavy rain and thunderstorms will occur overnight today and tomorrow, resulting in heavy snowfall in higher elevations in northeast Pennsylvania, northwest New Jersey, and southeast New York.
As a result, the National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for regions of northeast Pennsylvania from tomorrow afternoon to Friday afternoon at higher elevations. There is a danger of up to 12″ of snow in the highest elevations, and up to 6″ in higher elevation hills and valleys.
5-7″ of snow is forecast for sections of the New York Catskills during the same time. There is a winter weather advisory in effect in this region. Other regions, such as northwest New Jersey, may experience a coating to an inch of wet precipitation on cooler surfaces as rain turns to snow and falls heavily.
Between late tomorrow and Friday, New York City, Long Island, coastal areas of New Jersey, and coastal New England could receive up to 4″ of rainfall.
This is a much-needed soaking rain for drought-stricken areas. Fire danger are expected to fall substantially between this storm system and the next more active trend.