Back From Vacation, And Back To Snowstorms...

Above is my first thoughts snowfall map on the storm for this coming Thursday and Friday...and I believe that a large area of light snowfall accumulations will affect the area from the Midwest all the way to the Eastern Seaboard by Friday afternoon. While there is still some possibility that the storm intensifies once it hits the East Coast, I seriously doubt this happening as the storm appears to be blocked by another storm over the Canadian Maritimes. Also, the trough along the Eastern Seaboard is not forecast to take on a negative tilt; therefore, making rapid storm intensification difficult. At this time, I believe that 2-4" of snow will be common through the Midwest into western Pennsylvania...with lesser amounts on the eastern side of the Appalachian Mountains. Generally, 1-2 inches of snow will be found in the Piedmont and coastal plain...as I do not see this storm being a big deal. In the Midwest, high snowfall ratios could yield a 6-8 inch amount in spots, but that would occur west of the Mississippi River. As far as the major cities along the coast are concerned, I only see Baltimore to NYC getting any snow out of this thing with accumulations of around an inch or two in that stretch of I-95. Honestly, this is a minor storm...and I do not see a major storm possiblity again till around the 15th of the month. The main deal for the Eastern two thirds of the country over the next 10 days will be the extreme cold as temperatures will reach the negative 30s in some parts of the Plains and dip down into the lower and middle 20s as far south as central Florida. I am pressed for time right now or I would delve into further discussion on the arctic outbreak ahead and the storm this Friday...but I should have more time Thursday, so look for more in-depth discussion then and a final snowfall map for the Thursday night-Friday night storm. Until then, hope ya'll have a good one and stay warm out there! This is Junior Meteorologist Kyle Elliott reporting for the AKStormtracker Forecasting Center!