A winter storm is expected to move through the Northeast starting Monday and into Tuesday, bringing a foot of snow from central Pennsylvania to some areas of New York's Catskill and Hudson Valley, weather forecasters said.
As of Saturday, the storm was over the southern plains of the southwestern United States, but over the next few days it will move east and then northeast.
Bill Deger, a senior meteorologist at ACCUWEATHER, said the heaviest snowfall is expected to be from northern Pennsylvania, northwestern New Jersey and southern New York to the southern interior of New England, where a foot or more of snow could fall.
At one point, he said, the snowfall rate could exceed an inch per hour.
Frank Pereira, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center, said the heaviest snowfall is most likely to occur north of New York City.
Saturday's weather forecast calls for a foot of snow from central Pennsylvania to the Catskill and Hudson Valley in New York, to southern New England, parts of Connecticut and Massachusetts, and to the Boston metropolitan area.
D**id Stark, a meteorologist with the Weather Service office in New York City, said rain is expected to begin in New York City Monday night before turning to snow later Tuesday morning. He said snowfall is not expected to be very high, but it is too early to tell.
Derg said this mix of rain and snow can be dangerous for drivers.
"Rain first followed by snow makes it difficult for municipalities to prepare their roads for winter weather, as any pre-treatment can be washed away before the temperature drops below freezing and the snow starts to accumulate," he noted. ”
Drivers should be prepared that commuting from eastern Pennsylvania through the New York City area into the Hudson Valley and southern New England on Tuesday will be difficult, with heavy snow there potentially reducing visibility.
Rob Megnia, a meteorologist with the Boston Weather Service's office, said "small, even moderate, flooding could occur along the East Coast coast during the high tide early Tuesday afternoon." "People should be aware of this, even if they don't expect a lot of snow. ”
Pereira, of the Weather Forecast Center, said the storm would "move quite fast."
As we move into Tuesday night and night, the system will move into the open Atlantic waters," he said, adding that the storm should end on Wednesday morning.