Weekend snowstorm threat looms for Northeast; plus, California faces a new storm threat on Sunday

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and a nutshell.

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A storm strong enough to bring accumulating snow and slippery travel will spread from

West Virginia, Virginia, and Pennsylvania to the Mid-Atlantic and Southern New England

coasts this weekend.

There is a risk that the storm strengthens rapidly bringing heavier snow to parts of the

Interstate 95 corridor, including New York City and Philadelphia.

The storm expected from Saturday night through Monday will follow a series of systems that

are delivering snow and ice to parts of the Midwest and the Northeast with a vast

zone of warm air remaining in place to the south into Saturday.

So this storm, which moved in from California, will reorganize over the Gulf Coast on Saturday

before strengthening near the Atlantic on Sunday.

AccuWeather's Dan Dupodwen said that the exact track of this storm along with how quickly

it strengthens will determine how much snow falls in the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast.

The supply of cold air is limited and that could also affect snowfall totals.

In a broad zone from eastern Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio to the Del Marva Peninsula, New Jersey,

South Eastern New York and Southern New England, one to three inches of snow are forecast,

with localized totals up to six inches.

Despite the lack of fresh cold air ahead of the storm, there should be just enough cold

air for precipitation to fall mainly as snow from DC to Philadelphia, New York City, and

into Boston.

However, some of the snow may melt on contact with paved surfaces, and the higher terrain

of West Virginia anywhere between six to 12 inches of snow are forecast, with an AccuWeather

local storm max of 18 inches from late Saturday night into Sunday evening.

The heaviest totals are most likely at elevations above 2,000 feet.

The pod one said that the critical question for heavy versus light snow along I-95 is the

track of the coastal storm.

That track will depend on how quickly the storm intensifies.

The most likely scenario is for the storm to strengthen later and track slightly to the

east to bring six to 12 inches of snow to a broad stretch of that I-95 corridor.

However, if the storm strengthens rapidly along the coast and tracks farther west, it could

turn into a noreaster, and parts of the corridor could pick up heavier snow and high winds.

If that scenario plays out, millions could face significant delays during the Monday morning

commute.

For some areas in the northeast, assuming the storm this weekend pans out as forecast,

this will be the fifth weekend in a row for snow.

For the season to date, New York City is very close to the historical average of 22 inches,

with slightly more at 22.3 inches of snow so far this winter.

Turning our focus now to the Pacific coast, another storm is lining up for California.

Later on this weekend, arriving just days after the latest storm unloaded significant snow

in the mountains and rain at lower elevations.

This next round could bring drenching rain and more heavy mountain snow, especially to

Northern California.

Prior to the start of Thursday's storm, the 72 hour snowfall over parts of the Sierra

Nevada ranged from a little over a foot in the southern areas to nearly 8 feet of snow

in the central and northern parts of the mountain range.

In the past 7 days, 92.5 inches of snow have fallen in the central Sierra snow lab.

That amount of snow is not unheard of in the Sierra Nevada, but it is excessive nonetheless,

and has already resulted in deadly avalanches and multiple road closures, including along

the busy Interstate 80 and the Donner Pass area.

So a new storm is forecast to spend slowly on shore and spread southward from Sunday

to Tuesday.

Initially, rain may fall only on the northwestern corner of California on Sunday, and perhaps

a bit earlier in coastal Oregon and Washington.

The southward extent of the rain and mountain snow will depend on the track of the storm.

The intensity of the rain and snow may hinge on the development and forward speed of a

long plume of Pacific moisture called an atmospheric river.

At this time, it appears that the heaviest low elevation rain and mountain snow will focus

on the northern half of California, rather than the southern half, and will likely include

parts of Oregon.

Where the moisture plume persists in the atmospheric river, feet of snow may pile up in the mountains.

This latest barrage of snow is providing a much-needed boost to the overall winter snowpack

in the Sierra Nevada.

The frozen water locked in the snow will gradually melt during spring and summer, replenishing

and feeding area streams and rivers.

None of California is currently in drought due to the extensive storm's last winter,

and the occasional stormy periods this winter.

While soil drought will undoubtedly return during the heat of the summer and into the autumn,

there should be an ample supply of water to the state through at least the rest of the

year and beyond.

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.

I'll be back tomorrow with more from Acuether.