US East Coast bomb cyclone could bring heaviest snow in decades to North Carolina

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Well, more snow is likely on the way for the Atlantic coast, as a storm will rapidly intensify

along the Atlantic coast of the U.S. this weekend, and it is forecast to bring accumulating

snow to parts of the southeast and a close call with heavy snow along the mid-Atlantic

and New England coasts.

This powerful storm will raise winds and seas, leading to significant coastal flooding

and beach erosion as well.

Blizzard conditions are also likely in the hardest hit areas.

As heavy snow impacts major airport hubs from Charlotte to Boston this weekend, airline

delays will mount and travel along a portion of Interstate 95 may slow to a standstill in

some areas.

As the storm develops Friday in the southern part of the U.S., spotty rain will break out

along the Gulf Coast, the Florida Peninsula, and the Southern Atlantic coast, farther inland

over Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, and the Carolinas, the patches of snow or

a mixture of rain and snow will unfold.

As the storm strengthens from Friday night into Saturday, the extent and intensity of snow

and wintery mix will increase across Georgia and the Carolinas.

Now, there is a high chance that at least an inch of snow will fall on much of North Carolina,

Northern South Carolina, and Southern Virginia from the storm from late Friday through Saturday.

For North Carolina cities such as Charlotte, Raleigh, and Greensboro, this could be the biggest

snowstorm in decades.

In Charlotte, the most recent benchmark storm was 3.5 inches back in January of 2018, and

this weekend's storm as well within that reach, going farther back a storm in late February

of 2004, was one of the biggest on-record with 13.2 inches falling in late January of 2003,

a storm brought 8.5 inches.

In Raleigh, a storm brought 7 inches in December of 2018, and could easily be eclipsed by this

weekend's storm, the biggest snowstorm on-record occurred in late January of 2000 when 20.3 inches

of snow fell.

In early January 2002, a storm brought nearly 11 inches.

Several inches of snow are forecast across much of North Carolina and Southern Virginia.

The greatest chance of the storm bringing 6 inches or more in the southeastern states

will extend from north central North Carolina to southeastern Virginia and the southern

part of the Del Marva Peninsula.

Desert conditions are likely, and some areas due to strong winds and low visibility, as

the evolving north-easter intensifies into a bomb cyclone.

As the storm reaches the Southern Atlantic Coast Saturday, it will rapidly strengthen

to what meteorologists call a bomb cyclone.

Now a bomb cyclone is a rapidly strengthening storm that experiences an atmospheric pressure

drop of 7,100ths of an inch of mercury or more in 24 hours or less.

Where strong winds push water shoreward along the Atlantic coast, from North Carolina to

New England, tide levels will surge, creating coastal flooding.

Adding to this impact over the weekend will be the proximity of the full moon and normally

higher astronomical tides.

As of this, many areas may experience water levels anywhere between 2 and 4 feet higher than

what would normally occur without a storm.

Locations such as Norfolk, Virginia, North Carolina's outer banks and the wildwoods of New

Jersey may be flooded with the worst conditions around high tide this weekend.

The track of the storm relative to the coast would not only determine how much snow falls

in the southeast from Friday to Saturday, but also how far inland heavy snow can penetrate

in the mid-Atlantic and New England from Saturday to Sunday as the storm spins over

the Atlantic.

Accu-ether meteorologists believe that the most likely zone in the northeast for 6-12

inches of snow will be in the south-eastern Massachusetts, with 3-6 inches of snow in

the storm for the rest of southeastern New England, Long Island, New York, and coastal

areas of New Jersey and Delaware.

Along Interstate 95 from Northern Virginia to New York City, it will be a battle between

dry air to the north and west and Atlantic moisture to the south and east.

Instead of I-95 being the approximate dividing line between rain, ice and snow, it will be

the boundary between accumulating snow and practically no snow at all.

A dozen miles or less may determine the difference between a few flurries to snow-covered roads

and slippery conditions.

The cities of Boston and Providence, Rhode Island have a much better chance of receiving

half a foot of snow than New York City and Philadelphia.

Similar to southeastern Virginia, blizzard conditions may unfold over southeastern New England

and eastern Long Island with this storm.

In the wake of the storm, Arctic air will surge southward and eastward once again, sending

frosts and freezes deep into Florida and many areas of the continental eastern half of

the U.S. back into the deep freeze for days.

That's all for now.

You can find more regional forecasts and science-based articles at acuether.com and for your local

forecast at your fingertips, download the acuether app.

Enjoy the rest of your day.

Be safe.

I'll be back tomorrow with more from acuether.