A late winter storm that has the potential to turn into a powerful nor’easter is expected to have a wide range of impact on the New Jersey region from early Monday morning through late Tuesday, according to weather forecasters.
Although the precise impact won’t be known until the storm moves closer to our region, forecasters from AccuWeather say the Garden State could be bracing for several inches of snow, 1 to 2 inches of rain, coastal flooding, and winds that may gust as high as 50 to 60 mph at times. They say regional power outages are likely on the table for many areas of New Jersey. and other eastern states.
Similar to the past few recent storms, AccuWeather is predicting a wide swath of 1 to 3 inches of snow accumulation in the northern third of New Jersey, with some areas of 3 to 6 inches of snow in the state’s northwest corner — mainly Sussex County.
A strong winter nor'easter is expected to hit the northeastern U.S. on Monday, March 13, and Tuesday, March 14, with a wide range of impacts - snow, rain, powerful wind gusts and coastal flooding, according to AccuWeather forecasters.AccuWeather
Across most of New Jersey south of Interstate 78, AccuWeather is calling for mainly plain rain on Monday and a mix of rain and snow Monday night into Tuesday.
In preliminary forecast maps issued Saturday afternoon bv the National Weather Service’s regional forecast offices in New York and Mount Holly, the agency is predicting 3 to 4 inches of snow in the far northern New Jersey counties of Sussex and Passaic, with some pockets of 4 to 6 inches, between late Sunday night and late Tuesday night.
Forecasters say a strong winter nor'easter is expected to hit the northeastern U.S. on Monday, March 13, and Tuesday, March 14, with a wide range of impacts - snow, rain, powerful wind gusts and coastal flooding. This map shows the preliminary snowfall forecast for northern New Jersey, issued Saturday by the National Weather Service.National Weather Service
For areas north of New Jersey, AccuWeather forecasters are anticipating a major winter storm with heavy snow, ranging from 6 to 12 inches in the Poconos region of northeastern Pennsylvania and 12 to 18 inches in parts of upstate New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont.
AccuWeather says the nor’easter could quickly intensify into a “bomb cyclone” as it is moving north, from far offshore from New Jersey on Monday up near eastern Long Island and then into eastern New England on Tuesday. That’s an actual term used by meteorologists when storm systems rapidly intensify as cold air collides with warm air.
The process, also known as bombogenesis, “occurs when a mid-latitude cyclone rapidly intensifies, dropping at least 24 millibars over 24 hours,” the National Weather Service explains. “A millibar measures atmospheric pressure.”
A strong winter nor'easter is expected to hit the northeastern U.S. on Monday, March 13, and Tuesday, March 14, with a wide range of impacts - snow, rain, powerful wind gusts and coastal flooding, according to AccuWeather forecasters.AccuWeather
As of now, the National Weather Service’s Mount Holly office says there’s a high degree of uncertainty over how much snow and rain will fall in New Jersey and in eastern Pennsylvania next week, because the exact storm track, timing and air temperatures will play a big role.
During the first phase of the storm, in the overnight hours Sunday into early Monday morning, snow showers are expected across the Poconos and the higher elevations of northwest New Jersey, the weather service said in its latest public forecast discussion.
With warmer air temperatures, rain is expected Monday along the Interstate 95 corridor and areas south, and “some mixing of rain/snow is possible across the rest of northern New Jersey” when the storm first arrives, but it may change to plain rain — then back to snow.
“The forecast then becomes more interesting later on Monday into Tuesday as the northern parts of our area may see some significant snowfall,” the weather service notes.
A strong winter nor'easter is expected to hit the northeastern U.S. on Monday, March 13, and Tuesday, March 14, with a wide range of impacts - snow, rain, powerful wind gusts and coastal flooding, according to AccuWeather forecasters.AccuWeather
Monday night, when the storm is expected to strengthen and move toward Long Island, “rainfall will begin to taper off in the Delmarva, possibly even into the Philly metro area, while further north and east, cold air may start wrapping back south and allow rain to change back to snow,” the weather service said.
“There remain some discrepancies on the track of the surface low, which will have a significant impact on what areas see what precipitation types, and ultimately how much snow, but the time of day is working in the favor of snow at the least,” the weather service said.
Current weather radar
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Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com.