Kiyana Lewis said the snow storm weather forecast for late this week points to a potential nor'easter that could bring the season's first snow to parts of the Northeast and New England from Thursday through Saturday. The setup depends on the storm's track, which will decide where rain, snow and gusty winds reach first.
The forecast calls for colder air to shift into the eastern United States while warmer weather builds across the West. Lewis said colder Canadian air is expected to punch south into the Northeast, while the system itself could begin somewhere from the Great Lakes to the Ohio Valley before reaching the coast.
Kiyana Lewis on the track
Lewis said forecast models still show uncertainty about the storm's path and impacts. One scenario has an initial area of low pressure tracking inland across the Ohio Valley and eastern Great Lakes before transferring its energy offshore, which could allow a secondary coastal low to develop.
Under that setup, the immediate coast and the I-95 corridor would stay on the drier side. Inland and higher-elevation areas could pick up moisture and accumulate snow, giving some interior locations the first measurable flakes of the season while nearby places see little more than clouds and a change in wind.
Northeast and New England tracks
A second scenario keeps the nor'easter much closer to the Eastern Seaboard. Lewis said that would bring more significant impacts, including periods of heavy rain and gusty winds, while inland areas could still see snow that would be limited by a lack of cold air.
In that closer-to-coast case, the heaviest snow totals would likely be confined to higher elevations. A third possibility sends the storm farther offshore into the open Atlantic, which would push precipitation away from the coast and limit snow inland while also reducing the potential for coastal rain and wind.
FOX Weather forecast update
Lewis said the offshore scenario is not favored at this time, but it cannot be ruled out. The larger pattern has been helped by an unusually early disruption of the stratospheric polar vortex high above the Arctic, adding to a setup that could turn a late-week rain event into the season's first snow for some communities.
For readers in the Northeast and New England, the most practical takeaway is location: the farther inland and the higher the elevation, the better the chance for accumulating snow, while the coast is more likely to deal with rain and wind if the track hugs the shoreline. That split is why the forecast is still being watched closely as Thursday approaches.
