Ice Coats Parts of Mid-Atlantic & Northeast

An early spring warm front will continue to chug northward today, coating much of the higher Northeast in a nuisance icing before a rinsing of rainfall. 

Gulf and Atlantic air plucked from the South will advance northward, but not before a shallow cold layer shunts the humidity upward and wrings it out over the northeastern quadrant of the nation. The warm layer above the cold layer will enable some sleet and freezing rain to form.

The Alleghenies, Mid-Atlantic Piedmont, and northern Appalachia will see this freezing rain today, with the rest of the Northeast likely to see a quick changeover from brief snowfall into a wintry mix and then long-lingering rain. This changeover will occur later on in the day today for locations further north and east as the warm front shifts northward. Most precipitation from this wintry storm concludes tonight, and the rain will give a very short residence time for any remaining ice accretion.

By the time the storm exits, nuisance ice accumulations will have slickened areas from the eastern Great Lakes, through the Alleghenies, parts of the Mid-Atlantic, and New England’s interior. Icing across most of these areas will remain below a tenth of an inch, but that does not mean roads will not turn slick and slippery. Some exceptions will fall in Pennsylvania’s Alleghenies, which could see localized areas marred by up to 0.2 inches of ice before the rain melts it away. 

Snow accumulations today will generally be light, mostly leaving a brief, slushy coating to perhaps an inch across the northern Mid-Atlantic into New England. However, coastal Maine and northern Appalachia will likely receive 1 to 3 inches.

So far, Winter Weather Advisories have been posted from western/northern Maryland up through southern New England.

Be sure to download the WeatherBug app to stay up to date on the latest on this changing weather. It’s never too early to have a supply kit packed in case of inclement weather. A simple kit including a weather radio, water, blankets, batteries, and non-perishable food items will go a long way in the event of a power outage. It’s always best to avoid traveling in rough weather as the roads will be dangerous.