Biggest Storm of Season Threatens At Least 2 Feet of Snow in 4 States

A powerful storm threatens to bring the heaviest snow of the season to four states later this week.

Heavy snow and gusty winds are on their way to the Northeast, and the storm has the highest chance of impacting four states in northern New England—Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York. The approaching winter weather comes roughly a week after a winter storm brought heavy mixed precipitation to New York that caused icy roads and hazardous travel.

Despite spring’s arrival, the incoming system could be one of the biggest storms of the season for northern New York and northern New England, according to AccuWeather meteorologists.

“The storm has the potential to produce snowfall exceeding that from a storm a little over a week ago that dropped 1-2 feet of snow from Vermont to northern Maine,” the AccuWeather report said. “The storm this week, because of its extended duration, could bring general snowfall of 2 feet.”

And it could reach up to 42 inches in the Adirondack Mountains, according to AccuWeather senior meteorologist Tyler Roys.

“A lot of storms this winter were very fast moving,” Roys told Newsweek. “This storm is going to linger across the Northeast, allowing for snow to accumulate.”

Snow will begin falling in the Northeast on Wednesday. It may last through Saturday for some areas, like Maine. The snow is expected to be wet and heavy, making it difficult to clear. Wet, heavy snow is also more likely to cause power outages.

States most at risk for multiple feet of snow are Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire and New York. Snow may fall at a rate of 2 inches or more per hour, AccuWeather reported. Flooding could also become an issue.

The incoming storm has prompted National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologists to issue a winter storm watch for Maine, New York, New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts, although the NWS snowfall predictions are less than AccuWeather meteorologists are forecasting.

“Heavy, wet snow possible. Total snow accumulations greater than 6 inches possible. Winds could gust as high as 55 mph,” a warning issued by the NWS office in Gray, Maine, said. “Periods of moderate and heavy snow will combine with gusty winds and low visibility to create dangerous driving conditions. Delay travel; use extreme caution if travel is necessary.

“The combination of strong, gusty winds and heavy, wet snow on tree limbs may cause tree damage resulting in downed power lines and power outages,” the warning added. “The hazardous conditions could impact the Wednesday morning commute, and will likely impact the Wednesday evening and Thursday morning commutes.”