This storm is a classic Miller B which means that it is a system in the northern jet stream that redevelops offshore (versus a Miller A that originates in the southern states/Gulf of Mexico and moves up the coast). Past famous Miller B storms include the recent December 26, 2010 blizzard, the Blizzard of 1978 and the Lindsay snowstorm of 1969. These types of storms have two unusual qualities. One is that the precipitation pivots back from the east as opposed to the usual movement from west to east or south to north. The other element is a very sharp cutoff/tight gradient of snow accumulations on the west and southwest edge of the precipitation field...you can move from little snow to heavy amounts in distance of 20 or 30 miles. In the upcoming storm, this zone looks to be in eastern PA and then into the DelMarVa, possibly near extreme southwest NJ. Total snow accumulations will range from 10 to 18 inches across the entire area when the snow finally ends Tuesday evening, with perhaps slightly less amounts over extreme southwest NJ. If the storm is a bit stronger and stalls for a time (as depicted by the European model), there is the potential for more snow for the northeastern part of the state, including Monmouth and Ocean Counties. Winds will increase throughout the day on Monday and gust to 50mph on Monday night and early Tuesday. Winds during the day on Monday will be from the northeast but will back to a northerly direction Monday night and Tuesday. With the more northerly wind direction, there will only be minor coastal flooding at the times of high tide. Blowing and drifting of snow will also occur. Needless to say, travel is highly discouraged later Monday evening through the day on Tuesday. Cold conditions will follow the storm on Wednesday and Thursday. There is a chance of additional snow on Friday, followed by bitter cold for the weekend.
Posted on: Sun, 25 Jan 2015 14:05:58 +0000