Nor'easter Threatens 55 Million From Mid-Atlantic States To New England

The storm is expected to form off the coast of the Carolinas Friday and then move north along the east coast overnight, rapidly strengthening in a process called bombogenesis. Also called a bomb cyclone, the process occurs when a storm drops a certain amount of atmospheric pressure over a 24-hour period.

Eastern Massachusetts, including Boston, and Rhode Island could see between 12 and 24 inches of snow combined with gusts of up to 64 mph, according to multiple forecasting models.

“It appears that snow blowing would result in significantly reduced or near-zero visibility for southeastern MA. At this time, we are most confident in snow storms developing from Plymouth County to the Cape/Islands,” the office of the National Weather Service in Boston warned early Friday.

In addition, parts of the Mid-Atlantic and New England coasts face the threat of a dangerous blizzard, potentially accumulating 12 inches or more of snow, according to the The weather forecast center of the weather service.

A blizzard occurs when snow is accompanied by gusts greater than 35 mph for more than three hours and provides visibility for less than a quarter of a mile.

“White conditions can make travel nearly impossible, while strong winds are likely to lead to scattered power outages and some damage,” the statement said. center said:.

Mix of snow, wind and coastal flooding to the northeast

The storm is expected to cause a double whammy of heavy snowfall and high winds in parts of the northeast, but parts of the region are still uncertain.

“This storm is likely to strengthen at a speed and intensity consistent with only the most powerful hurricanes, so the high-end potential of this storm cannot be overstated,” said DailyExpertNews meteorologist Brandon Miller. “But with nor’easters, as with real estate, it all comes down to location, location, location.”

Parts of northeastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia could see up to 3 inches of snow, with winds up to 35 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

And once the storm hits the East Coast, it could dump as much as 14 inches of snow in parts of Connecticut and New York, where wind gusts can reach 55 mph, the NWS predicts. But forecasting models remained uncertain on Thursday.

In neighboring New Jersey, northeastern parts of the state can see up to 9 inches of snow, while gusts can reach as high as 50 mph, the NWS said.

Fog shrouds the skyline of Lower Manhattan on January 25, as seen from Jersey City, New Jersey.

The storm could also bring up to 8 inches of snow in Philadelphia, while parts of Delaware could see up to 10 inches of snow, according to multiple forecast models.

Coastal flooding and extremely cold temperatures are a possibility, the Weather Prediction Center warned. And the stronger the storm, the greater the wave action along the coast will be.

“Coastal flooding is a concern thanks to astronomically high tides on Saturday,” NWS Boston said. “The combination of strong northeasterly winds and high seas will create storm surges that, if coinciding with high tide, would lead to minor or moderate coastal flooding.”

The difference in storm timing — even as little as six hours — would make a huge difference in the impact on coastal flooding and erosion problems.

New York City forecast remains uncertain

And while the storm’s trail has become clearer in the past 24 hours, its impact is still unpredictable in some areas.

A European forecasting model shows New York City on the edge of the snow-or-no-snow line, but it still predicts a lot of snow. The American model shows almost nothing for the city. A third model indicates a foot or more of snow.

The NWS forecast as of early Friday is between 6 and 9 inches of snow, with wind gusts up to 80 mph. However, it says there’s a 10% chance the bomb cyclone will dump more than 17 inches of snow — while there’s also a 10% chance that no snow will fall.

And direction plays a critical role in this storm’s projection, DailyExpertNews meteorologist Chad Myers emphasized.

“It’s like a bowling ball going straight down the center or slightly off center. You can get a 7-10 split or a strike with just an inch,” Myers said. “I think the models will come together as we get closer to the event.”

Judson Jones and Robert Shackelford of DailyExpertNews contributed to this report.