New year, new weather pattern.
After a record-warm month of December for much of the U.S., January will be a different story, with a colder and more active weather pattern set to hit a large swath of the country through the first two weeks of the year.
This includes Washington, D.C.; Philadelphia; and New York City, which could be looking at their first significant winter storm potential in two years.
A potential storm system would affect eastern areas including the mid-Atlantic, Northeast and New England from Saturday to Monday. With the potential weekend winter storm still several days away, here are three things to know ahead of it.
It’s been a while since it snowed more than 1 inch in the big cities
As a whole, 2023 was a record-setting low snow year for nearly the entire I-95 corridor from Richmond, Virginia, to New York City.
New York picked up just 2.3 inches of snow all last season — a new record low. It also broke the record for latest first measurable snow, not seeing any snow until February. This was the first time Central Park failed to pick up any snow during December or January in a winter season.
New York is just one of a roster of cities in the midst of their longest streaks of not seeing 1 inch or more of snow in a 24-hour period.
New York City (687 days), Philadelphia (702 days) and Baltimore (703 days) are all having their longest streak of consecutive days without more than 1 inch of snow on record. Washington, D.C., (713 days) and Richmond (715 days) are sitting at their second-longest streaks.
A significant storm is likely, but it’s too early to predict exact snowfall totals
A significant storm is likely, but it’s too early to predict exact snowfall totals. The track of the storm will determine where the rain and snow line sets up and what locations see all snow, all rain or a mix of both (including the potential for some ice).
With temperatures expected to be right around freezing, it is looking likely that what snow falls will be heavy and…
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