Spring? Where? Certainly not in the Northeast and New England.
That’s because winter has some tricks left up its sleeve as millions of people across the region brace for a nor’easter that’s impacting cities like Boston and New York City with wind gusts up to 60 mph and heavy rain, while areas farther north are preparing for the possibility of feet of snow.
More than 116,000 customers lost power in Maine as of Thursday morning while 48,000 New Yorkers were left in the dark, according to PowerOutage.US.
This comes after the Midwest and Great Lakes region saw their fair share of winter weather, with portions of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula under a Blizzard Warning while other areas of the state, as well as parts of Wisconsin, remain under Winter Storm Warnings and Winter Weather Advisories.
A coastal storm along the mid-Atlantic coast is expected to move up the Eastern Seaboard, which will lead to various types of precipitation breaking out across the region.
The FOX Forecast Center said heavy, long-duration snow, torrential rain and dangerous wind gusts are all expected to blast the Northeast and New England through at least the end of the workweek, and impacts could be significant.
The highest snow totals will be found across interior portions of the Northeast and New England, with places like eastern New Hampshire and northern Maine picking up potentially up to 3 feet of snow.
The higher elevations of the Green and White mountains of Vermont and New Hampshire, as well as the Adirondacks of New York, will also see significant snowfall totals of up to 2 feet, which is good news for ski resorts trying to capitalize on the late-season snowstorm.
The lower elevations across upstate New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and norther Massachusetts could see more than a half-foot of snow from this system.
Lower snow totals are expected across southern Massachusetts and northern Connecticut.
Because of the expected snowfall, the National Weather Service issued winter weather alerts across the Northeast and New England.
Winter Storm Warnings are in effect for parts of upstate New York, including Saratoga Springs and Plattsburgh.
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The Winter Storm Warnings are also in effect for most of Vermont and Maine, all of New Hampshire and portions of northern Massachusetts.
The Winter Weather Advisories are in effect in central New York, northeastern Maine and northwestern Connecticut.
Flooding a concern due to heavy rain, melting snow
Heavy rain and high wind gusts are likely to be just as impactful as the heavy snow expected farther north.
The FOX Forecast Center said intense rain is expected along the Interstate 95 corridor from the mid-Atlantic to the Northeast, with rainfall totals of up to 3 inches expected in some areas by Friday.
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The ground across the region is already incredibly saturated, so even light rainfall could lead to flooding. As a result, more than 40 million people from Kentucky to New York have been placed under a Flood Watch.
Significant river flooding was reported in Pennsylvania, where several riverfront properties were underwater in Pittsburgh.
According to a river gauge along the Ohio River, the water level was at 26′ near Point State Park. The river is expected to crest around 27′ feet on Thursday, which will keep the event in the moderate stage and outside of PNC Park.
Major cities along I-95 corridor to be blasted by tropical-storm-force wind gusts, including Boston and New York City
Damaging wind gusts are likely as the nor’easter roars up the coast.
Cities like Scranton in Pennsylvania, New York City and Boston could all see winds gusting to as high as 60 mph.
Wind gusts of up to 50 mph are possible in places like Nantucket in Massachusetts, Burlington in Vermont and Buffalo in New York.
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The high winds could bring down trees and knock down power lines, so widespread power outages are possible during the storm.
Because of the threat of damaging wind gusts across the region, the National Weather Service issued several Wind Advisories and High Wind Warnings.
The High Wind Warnings run along the Interstate 95 corridor closer to the coast, and those include New York City, New Haven in Connecticut and Boston and Cape Cod in Massachusetts.
Portions of the Jersey Shore, as well as southern and northern Vermont, are also included.