A major winter storm threatens Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Washington and other points up and down the East Coast by the weekend, with one AccuWeather meteorologist suggesting some of the cities could be "buried in snow."
The winter storm, according to
AccuWeather, could affect more than 50 million people. Based on likely storm tracks, the Virginia and West Virginia mountains have the potential of heavy snow along with the District of Columbia, Baltimore and Philadelphia.
"Should the storm continue northeastward, rather than turn more to the east at the last minute, New York City, Boston, Providence, Rhode Island, and Hartford, Connecticut, would also be buried in snow," said AccuWeather Senior meteorologist Brett Anderson,
Jeff Masters, director of meteorology at the
Weather Underground, said residents should brace themselves for biggest snow totals of the season.
"For an event still several days out, computer models were in remarkable agreement late Tuesday on what could be one of the greatest snowstorms in decades for the region around Washington, D.C.," said Masters.
"Snow totals on the order of two feet are quite possible across parts of the greater D.C./Baltimore area, with the potential for almost as much in Philadelphia and perhaps a foot toward New York City. Anything over 20 inches at Washington National Airport would be the greatest snowfall for D.C.'s official reporting station in almost a century."
The
Weather Channel said the storm, which it is calling Winter Storm Jonas, could snarl traffic all along the eastern seaboard from Friday afternoon and Sunday morning with its high winds along with the snow accumulation.
"It now looks increasingly likely that Winter Storm Jonas will take shape starting Thursday and last through the weekend," said The Weather Channel website. "This could deliver high-impact snowfall to parts of the East.
"Depending on the track, intensity and duration of the storm, we could also see coastal flooding and strong, gusty winds. With a full moon this weekend tides will already be running high, which could worsen the impacts should any coastal flooding occur."
The Weather Underground said snow accumulation will vary, depending on timing and exact track of the storm.
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