Old Man Winter Not Yet Over, Threatens Northeast with Snow Squalls by Weekend

Old man winter is still not over for the United States as meteorologists expect it to cause a burst of cold air, snow squalls, and freezing temperatures in the Northeast.

Forecasters have issued snow squall warnings for the risk of multi-vehicle accidents along highways across the region.

Heavy snow and reduced visibility are likely, causing potential travel chaos in multiple states.

In early 2023, a polar vortex also brought an Arctic cold front into Canada and the northern tier of the US.

Winter storms, along with bomb cyclones and blizzards, marked the 2022-2023 US winter season.

Despite the end of the season this month, weather authorities have expected the continuance of wintry weather conditions in the short-term period this spring.

Snow Squall Warning

US Winter Storm Causes Snow Squall in the Northeast

(Photo : Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - DECEMBER 17: A nearly empty Dartmouth Street as a snow squall blows through on December 17, 2020 in Boston, Massachusetts. Winter storm Gail is expected to bring more than a foot of snow in parts of the Northeast.

Cold air across the Northeast into Wednesday night, March 29, will be accompanied by wintry weather and lead to a potentially life-threatening "freeze-up" as temperatures quickly plummets, according to AccuWeather meteorologists.

AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski explained that a cold front, with enough moisture to cause rain and snow showers, will move from the Great Lakes region to the Northeast by Wednesday night.

A snow squall warning was hinted by Sosnowski as visibility can suddenly drop due to the snow showers, which could catch motorists off guard along highways.

Another AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson explained that wind-swept snow showers that causes visibility reductions, also called as snow squalls, have a notorious track record of causing multi-vehicle accidents on highways.

Also Read: Another Wave of Snow Squall to Hit Northeastern US "Hard and Fast"

Winter Storm Hotspot Areas

The greatest risk or hotspot areas for the looming winter storm will be across high-elevation ground of northwestern Pennsylvania and southwestern New York.

The AccuWeather forecasters emphasized that as the cold front moves through the region, temperatures could drop by ten to 15 degrees Fahrenheit in a matter of only a few hours.

In November 2022, snow squalls also created dangerous travel conditions across the Northeast due to a surge of arctic air, according to a previous AccuWeather report, as cited by the United Press International.

What is a Snow Squall?

The National Weather Service (NWS) considers snow squalls as often linked with strong cold fronts and a key wintertime weather hazard.

In general, these weather phenomenon move in and out quickly, normally lasting in less than an hour.

A sudden occurrence of white-out conditions or reduced visibility with falling temperatures can produce icy roads in a span of few minutes.

Squalls can occur, the US weather agency explained, when there is no ongoing major or large-scale winter storm.

In recent years, snow squalls are responsible for causing multiple deaths during multi-vehicular accidents across the US, according to the NWS.

In March 2022, a multi-vehicle pileup in Pennsylvania, caused by a snow squall, resulted in the deaths of six people where involved in an 80-vehicle collision, the local police confirmed, as reported by CNN.

Similar incidents have been reported in other major highways across the country.