A colder and more active weather pattern is expected to affect a wide portion of the nation over the first two weeks of January, following a record-warm December for much of the U.S.
Cities like New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. might be in for their first major winter storm in almost two years.
From Saturday into Monday, a possible storm system might hit the eastern United States, bringing with it storms in the mid-Atlantic, the Northeast, and New England. Even though the possible winter storm this weekend is still a ways off, here are three things you should know in the days leading up to it.
Almost the whole length of Interstate 95 between New York City and Richmond, Virginia, had record-low snowfall in 2023.
Last winter, New York received a record-low 2.3 inches of snow. With no snowfall until February, it also set a new record for the latest first measurable snowfall. For some reason, this was the first winter season in which Central Park did not receive any snowfall in December or January.
There is a long list of cities that have not seen one inch or more of snow in twenty-four hours, and New York is among them.
The greatest sequence of consecutive days without more than 1 inch of snow on record may be found in New York City (687 days), Philadelphia (702 days), and Baltimore (703 days). The two cities with the second-longest streaks are Richmond (715 days) and Washington, D.C. (713 days).
It is too soon to forecast precise snowfall amounts, but a major storm is almost certain. Where the rain and snow line forms and whether some areas get snow, rain, or a combination of the two (with the possibility of ice) depends on the storm's trajectory.