Coastal Storm To Bring Delays In Air Travel And Reduced Roadway Visibility Across The Northeast

The coastal storm is seen to bring delays in travels across the Northeast. Weather experts said this would be ahead of the first significant lake-effect snow event of the season.

Incoming Coastal Storm

They forecasted that a coastal storm pushing northeastward off the East Coast would bring the next round of rain and snow to areas of the mid-Atlantic and New England late this weekend into early next week.

Based on forecast, the coastal storm will strengthen slowly as it passes along the coast. This system is seen to spread wet weather across parts of the Northeast and New England on Sunday or even Monday.

Rains will mainly be felt and confined to eastern Virginia, Maryland and Delaware before spreading into New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York by Sunday night. Meanwhile, on Monday, rain will primarily focus across New England.

Further, the heaviest rain will generally be across New England including in cities such as Boston; Hartford, Connecticut; and Providence, Rhode Island. It is expected that a rainfall of 0.50-1.00 inch can occur.

Meteorologists said that as the storm moves northeastward, it will then interact with cold air allowing for some snow across portions of New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine late Sunday night into Monday, especially in the higher terrain.

Officials said that motorists across the area may want to allow for extra time for the morning commute on Monday because the snow is seen to cause slow and slippery travel. Authorities said that people traveling ahead of the upcoming week should be prepared for possible delays both on roadways and in the air due to the wet weather that may occur during Sunday.

They advised that motorists traveling on roadways including interstates 90, 91 and 95 should be prepared for ponding on roadways and reduced visibility.

On the other hand, those traveling in the air are urged to closely monitor the weather forecast and check with their airlines before heading to the airport for possible delays and cancellations of their flights amid the bad weather.

Coastal storms can bring flooding, storm surge, and the potential for severe damage. Strong winds and high waters can create hazards such as falling trees, downed power lines, flying debris and loss of heat, water and power.

Experts said that in addition to people living and working in vulnerable areas, critical systems can be impacted, such as stormwater infrastructure, emergency facilities, and roadways.

Lake-effect Snow

Meanwhile, weather forecasters also warned that the first significant lake-effect snow event of the season is likely to unfold across the Great Lakes region.

They said that a cold, gusty wind could blow over the lakes Sunday night into Tuesday and this will set the stage for bands of snow to develop.

Meteorologists said that heavy lake-effect snow could take place across parts of northern Wisconsin, northern Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the northern and western parts of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, northeastern Ohio, northwestern Pennsylvania and western and central New York.

Due to this weather condition, travel can also become hazardous, especially where persistent bands of snow set up causing whiteout conditions.