iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — There are 21 states under winter storm alerts this morning, following a full-blown blizzard blasting the Dakotas and more than 260 weather-related accidents in Minnesota, where most schools closed or released students early on Monday.
That storm is now moving east and weakening, but some of that energy will be transferred to the East Coast tonight and form a coastal storm or nor’easter for Wednesday.
Snow is falling this morning from the Twin Cities to Green Bay and into parts of Michigan, as a storm system stretches from the Upper Midwest into the Gulf Coast. Thunderstorms are expected from the Tennessee Valley into New Orleans.
Tuesday evening, energy from that storm heading east will form a low-pressure area, with rain and light snow breaking out from the Carolinas into the mid-Atlantic. Snow and rain showers will begin near Philadelphia around dinner time and make their way into New York close to midnight.
As the coastal low strengthens into a nor’easter, snow will become heavier from Philadelphia all the way into New England. Boston could see a rain-and-snow mix as mild air over the Atlantic is pushed toward the shore.
Snowfall rates Wednesday afternoon from Philadelphia to New York could reach 2 inches per hour.
Strong winds will persist through Thursday as the storm exits the region.
Heavy snowfall is expected inland in the Northeast, parts of which may see more than a foot. Philadelphia may get 5-10 inches, New York may see 6-12 inches and Boston 2-5 inches.
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