Deep Snow, Unseasonable Freezes, Record Heat, Tornado Busts: March Weather Madness Reigns

A scene from the blizzard in northern
Michigan, via Facebook, Michigan
Storm Chasers

 The big storm that was harassing the United States is mostly gone, but its left damage, weird weather and the risk for more problems in its wake. 

BLIZZARD

The blizzard lived up to its promise, as forecasts for somewhere in the neighborhood of three feet of snow verified in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and in Wisconsin. Harbor Springs, Wisconsin was buried beneath 40 inches of new snow. Cheboygan, Wisconsin saw 38 inches of snow, while Wausau picked up 30.9 inches. 

This all got whipped up into massive drifts as strong winds blew throughout the storm. 

Marquette Michigan picked up 36.3 inches of snow new snow. That makes this month's total there so far 54.4 inches. I think I'd kill myself instead of shoveling my driveway with that amount of snow!

Before the storm was even finished yesterday morning there was 47 inches of snow on the ground. They haven't had less than two feet of snow on the ground since January 4. Talk about never-ending winters!

Video showed vehicles stuck for miles in the snow on an Interstate highway near Green Bay, Wisconsin fPeople in those cars said they'd been stuck for five hours or more. Green Bay had its deepest single-day snowfall since at least 1889, with 17.1 inches on Sunday. The city's storm total came to 26.6 inches.

In Illinois, snow wasn't nearly as deep, but strong winds sent tractor trailers on icy Interstates spiraling into ditches. 

SEVERE WEATHER

The good news is that there were no major tornadoes anywhere on the East Coast yesterday. Ahead of the storm, the atmosphere seemed primed for strong tornadoes in the Mid-Atlantic states.

Thankfully, that isn't what happened.

Some thunderstorms formed early in the day near the North Carolina coast. That siphoned some of the heat and moisture needed to produce rotating supercells and tornadoes. There were a couple of tornado warnings in Maryland, but none touched down. A couple of weak tornadoes were reported in North Carolina. 

We did see 485 reports of wind damage, mostly involving fallen trees and power lines. And even better news: No severe thunderstorms or tornadoes are forecast anywhere in the U.S. during the next week. 

WILDFIRE

A final capture before a trail camera was destroyed in
the big Nebraska fires. The camera owner was able to
recover an SD card from the melted camera.

Strong winds to the south and west of the massive storm that blasted the Great Lakes region helped fan the largest wildfire in Nebraska history. 

Collectively, four fires in central and western Nebraska have burned around 750,000 acres. As of yesterday, there was 0% containment, though updates this morning indicated the fires were now partially contained. One person has died in the fires.

One of the four fires, the Morrill Fire, is the largest in the state's history. At last report, it had burned through nearly 573,000 acres. An update this morning indicated it was 18% contained. 

Most of Nebraska is in drought. Dry, windy weather. A red flag warning is up for Nebraska today, and a fire weather watch is in effect tomorrow, when it is expected to turn windier and even drier. 

Brush fires and wildfires have afflicted the Plains through the second half of winter and now into March. The region has been persistently dry and frequent wind storms have fanned the flames.  

FROSTY SOUTH 

Early season crops and gardens across the South are taking a serious beating from frost and freezing temperatures. The huge storm's strong north winds and an accompanying strong dip in the jet stream brought wintry air far south. 

Last week brought record breaking high temperatures to the South, and that really got plants going after a chilly winter with plenty of freezes. This morning's subfreezing temperatures were surely a big setback. 

Huntsville, Alabama went from 71 degrees just after midnight yesterday to a burst of snow just 10 hours later.

By this morning, several places in East Texas and Louisiana saw record lows . In Shreveport, it was 25 degrees, besting the old record of 27 degrees. Longview, Texas reached 27 degrees, breaking the record low by a degree. 

Birmingham, Alabama got down to at least 27 degrees, which breaks the record low for the date of 28 degrees.

Freeze warnings are up again for tonight from eastern Arkansas all the way to the Carolina coast. 

WESTERN HEAT BUILDS

As noted in a previous post, the Southwest is entering an unprecedented stretch of extremely weird March heat. 

Each day from tomorrow through Sunday in Phoenix will feature high temperatures between 102 and 107. Those highs each day will be at least seven degrees above the current record highs, which is absolutely bonkers. 

Highly unseasonable extreme heat warnings are going into effect in the Desert Southwest. This heat wave is more dangerous than most because people aren't climatized to the heat yet. Plus, the deserts are overrun with tourists who are there to enjoy what is normally a cooler time in the deserts. Plus, extra tourists were attracted to a super bloom of flowers in Death Valley and the Mohave Desert. 

Despite all these weirdnesses around the nation, the odd weather is settling down for now, with the glaring exception of the Southwestern heatwave.

i'm sure the atmosphere is just recharging for more fun and scary and gobsmacking weather times ahead.  

Storm Blasting East; Severe Weather Threat Continues. Up In Vermont, Windy, Warm, Then A Crash

A lightning strike map from Sunday of the
 powerful\storm's squall line. Notice how
long it is, stretching from Chicago to
Houston. The squall line will enter
 the East today with severe storms
Other severe storms and tornadoes
are likely to form out ahead of the line. 

The United States is  dealing with yet another huge storm that will probably be yet another that causes at least $1 billion in damage. 

It's covering such a wide area- from the Plains to the East Coast - that collectively it's causing plenty of damage. 

This storm is hitting us here in Vermont too, but thankfully not as destructively. More on how this is and will affect the Green Mountain State further down in this post. 

Blizzards are leaving what is expected to be up to three feet of snow in the Upper Midwest  An ice storm is wreaking havoc in northern Michigan.

Worst of all, the storm's powerful cold front, as expected, generated a squall line that is causing tremendous wind damage along its path. 

 The National Weather Service collected at least 430 reports of thunderstorm wind damage on Sunday from this squall line. Judging from some damage photos, including one from Rector, Arkansas, there were likely a few embedded tornadoes. 

National Weather Service investigators will sort out which damage was caused by straight line winds, and which damage was associated with tornadoes. 

Even away from the squall line, just general high winds with the strong storm caused power outages, felled trees and damaged buildings. For instance, the roof blew off a building in Jamestown, in western New York. 

Roughly 535,000 homes and businesses in the United States were without power due to the storm as of this morning. The worst was in Michigan, with about 125,000 outages. That was due to heavy freezing rain in northern parts of the state, and a blizzard in the Upper Peninsula. 

Major roads remained closed this morning including two interstate highways in southern Minnesota.  

TODAY

The actions shifts east today, with the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast coasts most in the crosshairs today. Severe storms with damaging winds are possible all the way from northern New York to the southern tip of Florida,

But the main area of worry extends from southeast Pennsylvania to coastal Georgia. A roughly 150 mile wide band from Maryland to northern South Carolina is under an even higher alert - level four out of five in the National Weather Service's danger scale. 

Strong thunderstorms are expected to form ahead of the cold front in the Mid-Atlantic States. Strong winds, changing direction with height, can cause these storms to spin. That, in turn, could spawn tornadoes. 

Then the main cold front will arrive with its own batch of storms with high winds. If you know anybody in the Mid-Atlantic States and Southeast, make sure then know to listen for weather warnings are are ready to take shelter at the drop of a hat. 

VERMONT EFFECTS

The wind in parts of Vermont is cranking from the south this  morning, especially in the Champlain Valley.

The wind will be the main story Vermont's experience with this storm. A wind advisory is in effect for the entire state. A high wind warning is up for chunks of northern New York, including much of the Adirondacks. Saranac Lake, New York already had a gust to 65 mph overnight. 

The winds might tend to die down a little late this morning and early this afternoon. I'm already noticing this here in St. Albans as of 9 a.m. It'll still be windy, just not as bad.

This afternoon, just ahead of our sharp, strong cold front, winds will ramp up again, especially in the Champlain Valley. That's when the air will be warmest, and winds a few thousand feet overhead will be strongest. The warm air will allow more mixing in the atmosphere, helping to draw down some stronger gusts from above. 

Areas outside the Champlain Valley will also notice increased winds, but it won't be quite as bad.

Temperatures across Vermont were in the 30s and 40s as of 9 a.m. We still expect highs in the low 60, maybe mid 60s in a few places. Those high temperatures will actually probably come in the early evening just before the front arrives.

When that cold front does get here, you'll know it!  For most of us, it will come with a big but brief gush of rain, strong winds quickly shifting to the west. Temperatures will fall just as rapidly. 

Between today's winds and whatever comes along with the cold front, expect some scattered power outages and tree damage here and there. This won't be the most ferocious Vermont wind storm ever, but it will be on the noticeable side. 

Rainfall will be between a half inch and perhaps three quarters of an inch. That'll be enough to get rivers rising again, but not enough for them to break their banks. 

By dawn, many of us will be below freeing again. And it probably won't get above freezing all day. Winds will also stay gusty from the west and northwest. We might need another wind advisory east of the Green Mountains where gusts should be a little stronger on Tuesday. 

No wild weather events are scheduled for the rest of the week after this goes by, so I'll leave forecasts of  the coming days for another, later post.  

Wild Storm Creating Midwest Blizzard, Big Severe Weather Outbreak; Vermont To See Wind, Rain, Snow, Temperature Weirdness

The National Weather Service website home page
is getting colorful with lots of weather warnings
due to a wild, strengthening storm. This map
should get even more colorful later today
through tomorrow with a variety of
dangerous weather expected.

The big storm in the middle of the nation is underway, with widespread blizzard conditions in the upper Midwest. Worse, the storm is set to cause a huge severe weather outbreak over a wide area from the Mississippi Valley to the East Coast.  

The storm is still likely to give those of us in Vermont, and surrounding states, a bunch of wind, rain and wildly fluctuating temperatures. More on that in a bit, but first the big picture of the storm. 

BLIZZARD

A huge area encompassing the eastern half of South Dakota, the southern half of Minnesota, most of Iowa and Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan are under a blizzard warning. 

They're already calling it a historic storm, as some places in Minnesota might get over two feet of snow. A enormous patch of real estate across the upper Midwest is expecting at least a foot.  Up in northeastern Wisconsin and the UP of Michigan, up to three feet of snow might come down. A few forecasts I've seen call for up to four feet in spots in the UP.

All this is either getting propelled or about to be propelled by gusts that will exceed 50 mph, maybe making it to 60 mph in a few spot. 

South of the blizzard zone, high winds are raking he Plains from Nebraska down through Texas. Wildfires have been plaguing that region in recent weeks due to drought and strong winds. Today is just going to make matters worse there, especially in Texas and New Mexico. 

SEVERE WEATHER

The biggest threat from this storm is severe weather and tornadoes over a wide area. I keep saying "wide" or "enormous" areas, but this storm is so powerful its influence is being felt practically everywhere.

The storm's intense cold front will create a derecho-type situation with widespread strong wind. Some tornadoes might be embedded in this squall line. And a few supercell thunderstorms might form ahead of the cold front to also create a few tornadoes. 

The Gulf Coast, Tennessee Valley and the Ohio Valley look to be under the greatest threat today. 

Tomorrow looks like things might get even worse. The action Monday will be along the East Coast from southern New York to Florida. A zone from Maryland to South Carolina is under a moderate risk of severe weather, the second highest of five alert levels. 

Ahead of the cold front, supercells look to develop in the Carolinas and southern Virginia, with the risk of strong tornadoes.

Then the actual cold front slams in, with a very windy line of thunderstorms.  Widespread straight line wind damage looks to be the primary threat from this line of storms, but there could be a few tornadoes embedded with that line of rough weather.  

VERMONT EFFECTS

Though we won't have anything as dramatic as three-foot-deep blizzards or strong tornadoes, the weather is going to put on a bit of a show locally.  

Unlike in similar storms, the warm front coming through tonight won't have much moisture to work with. There might be bits of snow, sleet or rain later this afternoon and evening in spots, but nothing substantial. Also, some of the sheltered valleys of eastern Vermont might see a little freezing drizzle through early tomorrow morning 

The winds will really pick up overnight and Monday. The worst winds tomorrow should be over the northern Adirondacks over in New York, where gusts could reach 60 mph or so.

A wind advisory is up later tonight and through tomorrow in the Champlain Valley with hang on to your hat gusts to 45 or even 55 mph in spots. It'll be windy in the rest of Vermont. But so far, not quite windy enough to trigger a wind advisory. 

Temperatures will warm overnight in the Champlain Valley and that will spread into the rest of the state during the day. Highs should get to near 60 degrees by afternoon. 

I'm not going to get into specifics on when some showers might race through from time to time tomorrow, Just know they might happen, pretty much whenever, But parts of the day will be dry. So enjoy that warmth!

It'll be that cold front which is will be causing so much trouble elsewhere that will really make us take notice. It'll blast through in the evening with gusts of wind, brief torrential downpours, maybe a rumble or two of thunder. 

The rain shouldn't last long enough to create any real flooding problems. Just some rises on area rivers. The usual March rainy weather drill. 

After that, temperatures will crash and fast. By the time you get up Tuesday morning, all that water will have frozen. Many of us will have a little snow on the ground. Winds will crank from the northwest, so we might need another wind advisory for Tuesday. 

Temperatures probably won't get above freezing Tuesday. Maybe the same for Wednesday, too, But it'll get a tad warmer by the end of the week with seasonable March weather.  

Yes, Big Blizzards Can Counterintuitively Be A Sign Of Climate Change

Satellite view of the immense nor'easter this week that
caused the record snows in New England

Climate change skeptics scoff, but sometimes, extreme winter weather is made worse because of a warming planet. 

That might well be the case with the big Blizzard of 2026.

Every big storm depends on a rich supply of ocean moisture to do its handiwork. In the northern hemisphere, that moisture usually comes from south of the actual storm.  

Our nor'easter pulled deep, warm tropical moisture off the Atlantic Ocean. That moisture smacked into relatively  cold air over the Northeast. The water in the air froze as countless snowflakes, which piled up to record levels in parts of New England. 

That this was a record snow event was telling.  A warmer world, a warmer ocean can pull more moisture into the atmosphere than our former cooler world would have been able to do.  This is a big reason why our storm this week over-performed. 

It wasn't a one-off either. 

While overall winter snowfall isn't really increasing in the Northeast, individual snowstorms are tending to get bigger..

Six of Boston's 10 biggest snowstorms have occurred since 2003. Seven of New York City's ten biggest snowstorms on record have also all occurred since 2003.

This isn't just a coastal thing. Inland, in Burlington Vermont, eleven of the top 20 biggest snowstorms have hit since 2001.

TEMPERATURE NUANCES

One other nuance helped turn the Blizzard of '26 into the monster it was.

Not all ocean water stays warm all the time in our hotter world. Regional weather patterns over a few weeks or even a whole season can make a big difference.

It's been cold in the Northeast this winter, as you might have noticed. That has made the ocean water right along the Mid-Atlantic and New England coasts chillier than usual. 

Storms like nor'easters prefer to form and more along a steep cold to warm ocean temperature gradient.  Essentially, storms want to "find" the warmer water.  This storm found climate changed hotter water a bit further offshore than it usually does, as the Washington Post reports.  

Many nor'easters like to find that temperature gradient near what is known as the "benchmark" which is 40 degrees latitude and 70 degrees longitude, which is off the southeast corner of New England

This time, that temperature gradient in the ocean water was a little more offshore than usual, this storm passed over about 68 degrees longitude or about 100 miles east of the benchmark. This slight eastward shift allowed the precipitation to stay all snow in Rhode Island and southeast Massachusetts. It also funneled the heaviest precipitation into that area. 

Had the storm gone right over the benchmark, Providence and southeast Massachusetts might have had a period of rain thrown into the storm. The heaviest snow would have fallen in somewhat less populated areas like central Massachusetts and northern Connecticut. 

 Of course, some nor'easters hug the coast or even go inland a bit, temperature gradients be damned. ,  In those cases, interior New England gets all the heavy snow. while areas closer to the coast mostly see heavy rain, high winds and storm surges.  

STRONGER STORMS

Studies are showing that not only are nor'easters getting wetter, they're getting stronger. 

Stronger storms tend to create heavier precipitation. The barometric pressure in thie center of this nor'easter was exceeding low. A deep storm like that creates big pressure differences over a short distance.  The pressure diffeences create strong winds which cause lift in the atmosphere. The vigorous lift  that turned the moisture the storm drew from the Atlantic Ocean into very heavy snow, as the Washington Post notes. 

That robust lift in the atmosphere also help create thunder snow in some areas hit hardest by the storm.

Record big snowstorms in the past like the Blizzard of '78, the hundred hour storm in February, 1969 and the Christmas Week storm in northwest New England in December, 1969 were so severe because the nor'easters involved slowed down dramatically or stalled, adding to the accumulation. 

Those stalling storms are rare, which is one reason why two to three foot deep New England blizzards were once so rare.

More recent record breakers, like this week's storm, moved forward at a decent pace with no stalls  They were able to dump enormous amounts of snow within 24 hours. 

Now, a brief visit by a nor'easter often does all the damage that was once only made possible by lingering storms. 

It makes me wonder if another Blizzard of '26 is not all that far off in our future.  

Some Of The Best Videos To Come Out Of The Blizzard Of ' 26

Blizzard aftermath in Fall River, Massachusetts. This
city reported the most snow out of the storm - 41 inches. 

The Blizzard of '26 was certainly one of the most photogenic storms we've had. 

The blinding snow, the coastal flooding and the immense effort to clean it all up made for some good visuals.  

There is of course TONS of videos taken in the storm. I'm sure I missed some really good ones But I found some dramatic and cool videos too.

We have some of them here. 

Here's how New York City looked. I'll never understand why New Yorkers try to use umbrellas in blizzards. Anyway, click on this link to view, or if you see the image below, click on that. 

As always, videographer John Petramala went out into the storm, hanging out amid the whiteouts, waves and storm tides of Scituate, Massachusetts. Toward the end of the video, I'm not sure what's up with the driver of the white car, but JEEZ! Again, click on this link to view or if you see it, click on the image below. 

One man's experience battling the blizzard from his home in Rhode Island. Click on this link to view, or if you see the image below, click on that.  

News report from Sandwich, Massachusetts on Cape Cod give you an idea of just how extreme the blizzard was.  Click on this link

We have more of the obligatory nor'easter ocean waves crashing onto Scituate, Massachusetts houses, and also the whiteout conditions on local highways, and stuck cars. Click on this link to view or if you see the image below, click on that.

Really cool mostly drone video by Aaron Rigby of people in Providence, Rhode Island neighborhoods trying to dig out from the city's biggest snowstorm on record, the day after the snow ended. You can see  some side streets hadn't been touched by city plows yet. Click on this link to view, or if you see the image below, click on that. 

In Herbert Von King Park in Brooklyn, New York, area residents turned the open space into a snow sculpture park. It appears dozens of them are there. There's even an igloo where the television reporter conducted part of her interview. Click on this link to view, or if you see the image below, click on that. 

Blizzard Update: More Snow, Power Outages Linger, Damage Assessments Begin

Satellite views of the Blizzard of '78 and the Blizzard of 
26 look eerily similar. The Blizzard of '78 was
more destructive because it brought storm surges
through four high tide cycles. This week's
blizzard caused coastal flooding through one
high tide. However, snowfall was greater this
time compared to 1978 

It was snowing again this morning in the areas hardest hit earlier this week in the Blizzard of 26. It's not much snow, but it's adding insult to injury as people continue to dig out. 

More than three feet of snow fell in some areas.

The death toll from the storm is still being assessed. Many winter storm deaths come in the days after the snow has stopped falling. 

That's when people have heart attacks shoveling snow, die from carbon monoxide as snow blocks vents and exhaust systems.  There's also car crashes on icy roads and accidents during storm clean ujp. 

So far, six deaths have been reported just on hard-hit Long Island, New York. Five people died on the island from heart attacks as they were shoving the deep snow

A sixth person was  found deceased beneath mounts of snow in Deer Park, Long Island. A worker hired to shovel snow at the complex for residents age 55 of over found the body. The cause of death has not been determined, but police said it's not suspicious. 

In Rhode Island,  a college student was found dead in a running car Monday evening. Snow blocked the tailpipe, which means carbon monoxide backed up into the car. Another person died when he was struck by a truck on the Mass Pike as he  were trying to remove snow from a vehicle.

AccuWeather is estimating $36 billion in damage and economic losses from the storm.That includes damage to homes and businesses, disruptions to commerce and supply chains, problems with shipping operations at majorhubs, financial losses from power outages, travel delays and damage to infrastructure. 

A neighborhood full of people try to dig their street
out of record deep snow in Providence, 
Rhode Island on Tuesday. 

AccuWeather did not tease out how much of the total was in damage and how much was economic losses due to power and transportation disruptions. 

As of noon today, more than 150,000 homes and businesses still had no power in Massachusetts, mostly on or near Cape Cod.  

Power was still out across most of Cape Cod on Tuesday. Six towns on the Cape had virtually no powFew gas stations were open, and those that did had long lines. Things had improved by this morning. Only Wellfleet was completely without power. Service was partly restored to the other towns. 

Utility officials said they hope to have electricity restored to almost everybody on Cape Cod by Friday night. 

Vermont  has sent help in the form of snow clearing equipment. Thirty-two VTrans employees left Vermont this morning to help clear snow in Massachusetts. Video showed a convoy of state dump trucks and bucket loaders an Interstate highway Tuesday morning bound for Massachusetts. 

 We can spare the equipment because only southern Vermont received snow from the blizzard and even that amounted to only a few inches. No large snowstorm are in the Vermont forecast. 

As the snow its cleared, damage to buildings is becoming apparent. 

A high school gym room in Kingston, Massachusetts collapsed under the weight of the snow.  A gas station canopy on Cape Cod was shredded by high winds and heavy snow.  Fallen trees are still blocking some roads in southeastern Massachusetts. 

In New Jersey, a church steeple was left leaning after the blizzard and will have to be torn down. 

Other cities are beginning to emerge as having set all time records for a single snowstorm. New Bedford, Massachusetts received 37 inches of snow, its biggest-ever snowstorm. We have a new front runner for city with the most snow. Fall River, Massachusetts reported a storm total of 41 inches. 

It's late in the winters, so you'd think a thaw would come along and just melt all this snow fairly quickly But nope! 

Temperatures in the blizzard zone will get above freezing this afternoon, tomorrow and Saturday, but not be overly wide margins. A late season Arctic blast will keep temperatures below freezing Sunday and early next week. 

Even worse, a little more snow is in the forecast. An inch or two of new snow fell from New York City to Cape Cod this morning. A little more snow might fall Thursday night and again Sunday. Luckily, these snowfall do not look very big. At least at this point. 

I'm sure a several million people that got hit by this blizzard are seriously pining for spring. 

Epic Blizzard Of '26 Winding Down After Setting Records, And Wowing People With Snow, Wind

New York City, like many other places in the Northeast
endured blizzard conditions today. A few areas set
all time snowfall records, while a few more
were closing in on their records. 

 The Great Blizzard of '26 is departing this evening, but it certainly will take awhile for many to get over it. It was a record-setter in some places. And a lot of places are buried under more than two feet of snow.
 

As of 3:45 p.m. today, a little over 6,000 flights had been canceled today, says FlightAware.com.  The mess doesn't necessarily end tomorrow. Even though the snow will be over, the hang over from today had already forced 2,000 cancelations Tuesday. Some more will probably be added. 

As of around 4 p.m. today, more than 570,000 homes and businesses were without power in the Northeast. That includes more than 287,000 in Massachusetts and just under 100,000 in New Jersey. 

Power crews in Massachusetts weren't able to get to outages this morning and early afternoon because of zero visibility, blocked roads and winds of up to 65 mph

New England

It was still snowing in eastern New England late this afternoon, but some pretty incredible totals have already been reported. And they're setting records. 

As of 1 p.m., Providence, Rhode Island has 32.8 inches of snow, shattering the city's record for biggest snowstorm in its history. The old record was 28.6 inches in the famous Blizzard of '78, February 6-7, 1978

Rhode Island's statewide record for biggest snowstorm also has an excellent shot at being broken. 

The National Weather Service office in Boston said it would update all the snow totals in southern New England at around 7 p.m. this evening. 

Warwick, Rhode Island, about eight miles south Providence, had 36 inches of new snow. The record for biggest snowstorm in Rhode Island was also in the Blizzard of 1978, when 38 inches of snow fell on Woonsocket. 

North Kingston, Rhode Island was close behind at 35 inches. In Massachusetts, 33 inches of snow fell on Dartmouth, 31 inches fell so far in Somerset and 30 inches hit West Hanson.

The National Weather Service office in Boston said it would update all the snow totals in southern New England at around 7 p.m. this evening. 

Coastal flooding was a problem today, too. As with all the strongest nor'easters in New England, weather influencers flocked to Scituate, Massachusetts to watch enormous waves crash into a seawall then surge onto the rooftops of a row of houses. 

New York/New Jersey

The New York City area wasn't hit as hard as Rhode Island and eastern Massachusetts, but hard enough.  

As 1 p.m.  New York City's Central Park had collected 19.7 inches of snow, but more snow fell after that. If no more accumulates, it will be the city's ninth largest snowstorm on record. 

New York seems to have gotten a glut of big snowstorms in the past 30 years. Including today, eight of the Big Apple's 10 biggest snowstorms have occurred since 1996. That's an impressive statistic since Central Park records go back all the way to 1869.

Most places in the New York metro area, southern Connecticut and New Jersey received at least 15 inches of snow with several reports of more than two feet. 

Newark, New Jersey was coming close to its all time record for biggest snowstorm. They had 27.1 inches by 1 p.m. today. The record in Newark for biggest snowstorm was 27.8 inches in the blizzard of 1996.

As mentioned this morning, the strongest winds were on the eastern end of Long Island. Montauk Point registered a gust to 84 mph. 

Blizzard warnings in and near New York have been lifted, but winds will keep blowing snow around. As the storm wound down, temperatures in New York City got slightly above freezing, but it will get much colder tonight. That means the slush on city streets will freeze.

However, in a sign oa a return to normalcy, New York City Public schools will reopen tomorrow. 

New York City was still seeking emergency shovelers to get at bus stops, crosswalks, fire hydrants and other public places. Pay starts at $30 an hour and increases to $45 an hour after the first 40 hours worked. 

VERMONT EFFECTS

As expected, this monster storm was too far south to be a big deal in the Green Mountain State.

Bennington received only 3.6 inches of snow out of this. I have an unconfirmed report of 7 inches on a high elevation in far southwest Vermont.

 I don't have any other snow reports from anywhere else in Vermont, but I know that nobody in the Green Mountain State got anything notable.  Way up in the northwest corner of Vermont, I managed to see a brief, very light snow flurry today. So the official total here from the Blizzard of '26 is a whopping trace.

It's going to stay cold now through Tuesday night as the departing offshore enormous nor'easter pulls down cold air from far to our north. It'll get into the single digits for the most part tonight, only reach the upper teens and low 20s tomorrow and then probably get into the single digits tomorrow night. 

A weak system could give us maybe an inch of snow Wednesday, but that doesn't sound scary.

I'll have more details on Vermont's weather future in tomorrow morning's post. Spoiler: No historic storms are in Vermont's near future 

 

Blizzard of '26 Peaking This Morning; Southeast New England Hardest Hit

Satellite view this morning of the extreme nor'easter creating
the northeast blizzard. Note the eye-like feature of the
storm center, the cold front extending down through the
Bahamas and the bumpy look to the clouds in
southeast New England, which indicates very heavy snow

As expected the Blizzard of '26 raged all night and is still going strong. 

The only major change is that it made a slight jog to the south, so the northern fringes of the storm won't be as snowy as first thought. That affects us here in Vermont, but we were never going to get the brunt of this thing anyway. 

More on the Vermont forecast further down in this post. 

Southeastern New England and Long Island, New York seem to be the hardest hit places. Again, that was expected, but it's literally cold comfort to the people who live there. Or anywhere else affected by the blizzard.

As of 7:30 or so this morning, more tham 5,600 flights had been canceled today, according to FlightAware.com

Also as of 7:30 this morning, about 463,000 homes and businesses were without power in the Northeast. That number will certainly rise as the storm continues to rage. 

This is still obviously a developing story and there will be much more. But let's break what we've got so far down by regions.

New York/New Jersey/Southern Connecticut

Montauk Point in eastern Long Island reported a wind gust of 84 mph. Stony Brook, Long Island peaked at 74 mph. Many gusts in the New York, metro area and New Jersey were in the 55 to 65 mph range.

Through 7 a.m. Quague New York, on Long Island had 23.5 inches of new snow. Islip, Long Island reported 22 inches of new snow. New London, Connecticut had 17 inches and the Bronx had 15 inches 20. Central Park also reported 15 inches of snow, the most in a single storm since 17.4 inches in 2021. It was still snowing as of 7:15 a.m, so Central Park will likely go over that 2021 total

 There were many reports of 12 to 16 inches in New Jers3ey. It was still snowing at 7 a.m., so those totals will go up. 

So far, about 126,000 customers had lost power in New Jersey and 21,000 or so in New York. 

We're still awaiting word on how severe coastal flooding has been. I did see some video of water entering streets in Atlantic City, New Jersey.  I'm shore there is at the very least beach erosion on the Jersey Shore.

The snow should stay intense in this region until around mid-morning, when it should begin to tape off, west to east. The snow should move out entirely this afternoon, except maybe in central and eastern Long Island. Winds will stay strong and gusty, so the snow will keep blowing around.

Travel bans and states of emergency remain in effect today. 

New England Except Connecticut

Screen shot of WBZ-TV meteorologist Jacob Wycoff
enduring the blizzard blasting through 
Marshfield, Massachusetts this morning. 

The blizzard in southern and eastern New England was absolutely raging as of 8 a.m. today and the region has quite a few hours to go before it all ends.

Large areas of Rhode Island and eastern Massachusetts had whiteout conditions. In addition to the heavy snow, wind gusts in the 50 to 65 mph range w4re common. 

As of 7:15 a.m, 20.4 inches of snow had piled up in Exeter, Rhode Island. South Kingston, Rhode Island had 19 inches. As those reports came in, the heaviest snowfall was covering almost all of Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts from about Boston south. 

Snowfall rates of three inches per hour in spots should continue through the morning. Eastern New England should have additional accumulations this afternoon. I'm sure some towns will report 30 or more inches of snow. 

Hourly weather reports from places that still had power were insane. At 8 a.m. Hyannis, Massachusetts reported heavy snow with winds gusting to 69 mph. Nantucket was gusting to 70 mph. Boston at 8 a.m. was reporting heavy snow with north winds at 38 mph gusting to 52 mph. The weather in Providence, Rhode Island was almost identical to Boston, except Providence was gusting to 63 mph .

The snow was pretty wet and heavy, especially south and east of a Boston to Providence line. What will amount to 1 to 2 feet of wet cement style snow propelled by wind gusts to near hurricane force in an area that is both fairly heavily populated and heavily forested means big trouble. 

I'm sure trees and power lines are being absolutely mowed down as I write this. Already, as of 8 a.m., 172,000 Massachusetts homes and businesses were without power and that number was noticeably rising. 

In some areas, residents have been warned that it could take day before power is restored. And while the blizzard rages, nobody can go out and start repairs. It's just too dangerous. 

Live video from Plymouth , Massachusetts showed whiteout conditions and powerful winds. The wet snow driven by those winds appear to have utility poles leaning ominously in some areas of Plymouth. There were still a surprising number of cars o the roads, though.  

On top of everything else, coastal flooding is likely from this all along the New England coast up into Maine.  

VERMONT EFFECTS

That slight jog southward in the path of this giant nor'easter is ensuring that the Green Mountain States is escaping with minor effects.

The storm is still far enough north to keep the winter storm warning going for Bennington and Rutland  counties. Even so, total snow amounts in southernmost Vermont have been cut back a little to 4 to 8 inches.

The National Weather Service have dropped winter weather advisories in Rutland and Windsor counties, as accumulations there will fall short of the 3 to 6 inches that had been predicted yesterday. tw

The rest of Vermont could still see an inch or two of snow, with little or nothing in the Champlain Valley. 

Honestly, that's OK. Most of Vermont is deep in snow, so we didn't need the disruption of a huge blizzard. I'll take today's blustery, cloudy weather with a bit of gratitude. 

The nor'easter will provide us with cold, stiff north winds gusting to 30 mph, so open areas could see a  few problems with blowing snow.

We'll really feel the cold air in the wake of the nor'easter tonight through tomorrow night with lows in the single digits and highs Tuesday barely making it to 20 if that in many areas.

A small system will probably throw a little snow at us Wednesday. Some forecasts had called for a more substantial snowfall this coming Friday, but that's definitely looking less likely. 

Sunday Evening Blizzard Update: The Wild Weather Has Started

A prediction of what the radar imagery of this
nor'easter will look like later tonight. Sort of looks
like a hurricane but it's built completely 
different from one. 

Getting a late start on my brief evening blizzard update as I had to be elsewhere.

Our major blizzard in the Northeast is underway. 

Some of the stats a facts are absolutely impressive. Meteorologist Ben Noll  says that 42 million people expect major or extreme impacts from the storm; 30 million people are under a blizzard warning and 21 percent of the nation's population will be affected by the storm one way or another.    

As meteorologist Matthew Cappucci notes, this storm is a meteorological marvel. A calm, clear eye will develop in the storm. It's not the same mechanism that you see in hurricane but it makes the storm somewhat visually resemble a tropical system

Way out to sea, in the storm's warm sector, powerful supercell thunderstorms will develop, with waterspouts. Not the skinny little almost harmless things you sometimes see off the coast of Florida. Instead, these waterspouts would be Midwestern style powerful tornadoes. 

In much of the blizzard zone today. light wet snow and raind rops. As of 6 p.m. the snow intensity was starting to pick up. An offshore really heavy band of snow looked like it would make landfall in New Jersey and New York metro area by around 7 p.m. 

The blizzard should maintain its intensity in New Jersey and southern New York until late morning or early afternoon tomorrow, 

In New England, Rhode Island has imposed a travel ban in the state starting at 7 p.m. this evening. New Jersey and New York City also have travel bans. I kind of wish Massachusetts would follow suit. I have at least one unconfirmed report that a couple major employers expect to see employees in the office tomorrow. 

If that's true, those businesses are incredibly irresponsible. Especially considering will dump 18  to 25 inches of badly windblown snow, propelled by winds of up to 75 mph near the coast. 

The National Weather Service office in the Boston area said:

"We can't stress this enough but this storm will likely bring extreme to destructive impacts south and east of the I-95 corridor, especially southeast MA and Cape Cod due to the combination of heavy, wet snow and damaging wind gusts. Heavy, wet snowfall amounts up to 2 ft with damaging winds presents a serious concern for tree damage and power outages."

 This thing means business! 

VERMONT EFFECTS 

Overall, the forecast for the big nor'easter hasn't  changed much. 

The southernmost two counties of Vermont are still under a winter storm warning for a windblown 6 t0 12 inches of snow.  That's a little more than what they were predicting this morning. Rutland and Windsor counties are still in for two to six inches. Northern Vermont from the Green Mountains east should get an inch or two, plus blowing snow due to stiff north winds. 

The northern and central Champlain Valley on Monday should only get an inch or less with those gusty winds an blowing snow.

There's still chances that snow bands could behave differently than currently forecast, so look for updates tomorrow morning

I'll have a detailed post on this nor'easter tomorrow morning, of course!

 

Northeastern U.S, Hunkers Down For Blizzard Of '26. Up Here In Vermont, We Catch The Edge Of It

Fox Weather has this graphic of expected snow amounts
Click on the image to make it bigger and easier to see,
Note the spots of expected two feet or more in '
New Jersey and Massachusetts

Million of people in the Northeast this morning are bracing for an intense, highly dangerous blizzard as forecasts seemingly get worse with every cycle of forecasts. 

The area under blizzard warnings expanded a little more overnight. All of Delaware and New Jersey are in the blizzard warning zone. So is southeastern Maryland and a few counties in Pennsylvania.

The blizzard warming was nudged northward to about Newburgh in New York's Lower Hudson Valley. In Connecticut. the blizzard warning yesterday just covered the southern coast. Now, that warning goes into central Connecticut.  In eastern coastal New England, the blizzard warning now extends as far north as Portsmouth, New Hampshire. 

There's been some changes to the forecast in Vermont, too. We'll get into those further down in this post.

WHERE IT STANDS

The storm is off to its expected slow start this morning, with patchy areas of light rain, snow, sleet and fog.   But it will all intensify during today and reach its screaming crescendo tonight. 

The storm was just developing near coastal North Carolina this morning and will strengthen explosively. 

By early tomorrow, the intense nor'easter will be in a position southeast of Cape Cod, at around 40 degrees north latitude and 70 degrees west longitude. That spot is known as the "benchmark" among meteorologists. It's the spot you want a nor'easter to go to give maximum snowfall to New England and the New York metro area. 

Since this storm will be so intense, the amount of snow will be magnified. So will the wind. In some areas, like New York City, this will be the second big snowstorm of the winter. This one will be much worse than the one in late January. The Big Apple is under its first blizzard warning since March, 2017. This is also expected to be the biggest snowstorm there since 2016.

 Initially, the snow will be wet and heavy, especially near the coastlines. The weight of the snow, combined with the strong winds, will probably bring down a lot of trees and power lines. There will probably be a lot of power outages. Repairs won't go quickly, considering it will be incredibly dangerous for crews to fix power lines in the midst of a blizzard.

Don't even think of flying in or out of the Northeast today. As of 8:30 this morning, a little over 3,000 flights were canceled today and nearly 3,800 flights were scrubbed for tomorrow, says FlightAware.com. I expect those numbers to go up more

Everybody is the storm zone has been told to hunker down, basically shelter in place in their homes. Any road travel should be limited to extreme emergencies, and even then, cars should be stocked with foo, water, and extra warm clothing. 

Snowfall rates should increase to two inches per hour or even a little more tonight. In southeastern Massachusetts, there could be isolated areas of up to four inches per hours. There's also a decent chance of thunder snow in southeastern New England.  

Winds will gust to or even over 50 mph in the blizzard zone. It will be almost as bad in areas covered by winter storm warnings just west and north of the areas under the blizzard warning. In southeastern New England, winds could be even stronger than in New York and New Jersey. Some areas south of Boston and on Cape Cod and the island could go past 70 mph.

Generally speaking, most places in this blizzard should receive one to two feet of snow.  Some areas could receive up to 30 inches of snow. A few records for deepest snowstorm are under threat. 

Coastal flooding is also a given with this, so expect some damage there. The coastal flooding won't be as bad as the devastation we saw in the Blizzard of 1978, but it'll still get dangerous. Some ice remains in shelters bays and such from that frigid weather earlier this month. Movement of that ice during the storm could cause added damage.

Between the possibly record breaking snow depths, the strong winds and the coastal flooding, this is one super dangerous storm.

The only saving grace I can find is this intense nor'easter won't stall like the Blizzard of 1888 or the Blizzard of 1978. In this case, the period of intense weather will last only about 24 hours. But the damage will have been done.

Also, after the storm, some slow thawing is expected to begin later this week, in contrast to the January storm.  It stayed cold for weeks after the January storm, so all that snow and ice just sat there. This time, the snow will at least start to settle in the big cities of the Northeast starting later this week. 

We're hoping everyone heeds the warnings with this intense storm. If people don't follow the rules and stay inside during this blizzard, some of them could die. 

 VERMONT EFFECTS

When a nor'easter goes over that 40/70 benchmark southeast of Cape Cod, as mentioned above, most of Vermont usually gets just the fringe effects of the storm.

Since this storm is so powerful, far southern Vermont will get a decent hit, though it will be nothing compared to what places nearer to the coast will endure. 

Bennington and Windham counties, the areas of the state closest to the Massachusetts border are under a winter storm storm warning. Those areas should get five to 10 inches of snow with winds gusting as high as 40 mph tonight an tomorrow. 

Rutland and Windsor counties have a winter weather advisory for Monday as those areas should get three to five inches of snow with winds gusting to 35 mph. That'll force a lot of blowing and drifting.

As is typical with a setup like this, snow amounts should fall sharply as you head into northern Vermont.  East of the Green Mountains in northern Vermont, there could be an inch or two of new snow out of this.  In the Champlain Valley, it'll be less than an inch. 

For those Vermonters who are for some reason desperate for snow, there's a slight possibility the nor'easter might throw a band of snow all the way across Vermont, which would give northern parts of the state a few inches of snow.

That said, the possibility of that happening is quite low. Don't hold your breath. 

The nor'easter will make things windy and quite cold for a couple days. We'll have some relative warmth today with highs in the mid-30 under mostly cloudy skies.

By tomorrow, it'll only be in the 20s for highs with a stiff north wind gusting to more than 30 mph. Readings will drop to 10 degrees or so tomorrow night and only get into the upper teens and low 20s on Tuesday. It could get close to zero Tuesday night. 

It'll warm up again to daytime highs in the low 30s late in the week. But a small storm Wednesday could spread a little snow our way. Another storm Friday gives us a shot at more snow or mixed precipitation. Those forecasts are iffy, so stay tuned for information after the nor'easter passes.   

Saturday Evening: Vermont Storm Wrap Up And Latest On The Blizzard Of '26

This is what the National Weather Service was predicting
Thursday for our just-ended snowfall 

From my perch in St. Albans, Vermont, I was in a winter paradise this afternoon. 

Bright sun broke through to light up deep, fresh snow on the ground and the tree branches decoratively weighed down by the snow from last night. 

Places near the Canadian border cleared up nicely, while much of the rest of Vermont stayed mired under clouds and flurries. 

A pretty steep temperatures contrast held all afternoon in Vermont, too. While the Champlain Valley held in the low 20s, the Connecticut River valley all the way to Lyndonville and far southern Vermont were in the low to mid 30s. 

Meanwhile, that forecasted blizzard menaces far to our  south. I'll provide a quick Saturday evening update that expected huge nor'easter in a moment, but let's clean up the results of last night's storm. 

The forecasted snow amounts were almost spot on everywhere in Vermont and surrounding areas except in the far southern Green Mountains. There, snow totals were mostly near five or six inches, instead of the seven or eight that had been anticipated. 

And this is the amount that actually fell. Pretty darn
close to the forecasts, You can click on both maps
to make them bigger and easier to see. 

Most places in Vermont got five to 8 inches of snow, with a few reports of snow in the 8.5 to 9 inch range; There was a report of a foot of snow in Warren, but I don't 100 percent trust that, as nobody else came close to measuring new snow that deep.

BLIZZARD OF '26

As things fall into place with what will be an incredibly strong nor'easters, some of the warnings ahead of the storm have expanded. 

By late this afternoon, most of New Jersey was under a blizzard warning, not just the immediate coast that was under the warning this morning.

In New York, the blizzard warning was pushed further up the Hudson Valley to about Peekskill. As expected, blizzard warnings went up this afternoon to southeastern New England. The blizzard waring in and around New York City is their first one since 2017.

Winter storm warnings are also further inland, extending as far west as Harrisburg and Scranton in Pennsylvania, and almost to Albany, New York. Winter storm warnings extend to through all of Massachusetts not covered by the blizzard warning.

And, due to continued uncertainly as to how far north this might go, winter storm watches are up for far southern New Hampshire and Vermont. 

Governors of New York and New Jersey declared states of emergency. New York City residents and others in the blizzard zone were urged to go out today and stock up on three days' worth of food and supplies. 

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani urged residents to stay at home during the storm. 

Henry the Weather Dog measuring the deep accumulation
of snow outside his St. Albans, Vermont home today.
Last night's snowstorm brought the overall snow depth
to about 15 inches. Henry says he is thankful that it
looks like the expected huge East Coast blizzard
looks like it will largely miss far northwest Vermont

There were already about 430 flight cancellations today as airlines moved planes away from the storm zone. FlightAware.com reported about 1,100 flights had already been canceled for tomorrow. 

Most areas in the blizzard warning can expect 15 to 25 inches of snow driven by wind gusts of 50 mph or more. 

In some areas, like New York, it probably didn't feel like a blizzard was on the way as temperatures hovered in the mid-40s under partly sunny skies. But as the storm winds up tomorrow it'll pull in more than enough cold air to create the blizzard. 

Coastal flooding is also a big concern from Virginia to New England as intense northeast winds push Atlantic Ocean water into East Coast shorelines. 

VERMONT EFFECTS

Because of another westward shift in the expected storm track today, Vermont's southernmost two counties are now under a winter storm watch from Sunday afternoon to Monday afternoon. It won't be as bad as in the blizzard zone, but at this point four to eight inches of snow are  expected in far southern Vermont with wind gusts to 40 mph. 

Central Vermont could get one to four inches of snow. A dusting to an inch might get to Route 2 or even a wee bit north of that. 

All of Vermont should have blustery winds Sunday night through Monday night. 

I will have much more on all this in tomorrow morning's post.  

After Vermont's Snowstorm Last Night, All Eyes On The Coast For Blizzard Of '26

Yet another winter wonderland this morning in St.
Albans, Vermont after last night's 6.5 inches of
snow. All eyes on the East Coast as what
might well become the Blizzard of '26.

 The snow was just about done here in Vermont by about 8:30 the morning, with just patchy areas of light snow and flurries around. 

The big news next is something that escalated really quickly over the past couple of days. 

The expected path of the  nor'easter we've been talking about went from well offshore to right near the coast. 

A full-fledged blizzard is now expected along the Mid-Atlantic and New England coasts. This includes New York City and  probably Boston.

That storm will mostly hit Sunday night and Monday.

I'll give you all the details on that in a moment, with updates on how all that might affect us in Vermont, but let's catch up with last night's storm in Vermont .

SNOW TOTALS AND FORECAST

It looks like total accumulations were in line with expectations. I saw a lot of five, six and seven inch reports across the state. The most I've seen so far is 8.5 inches in Tunbridge, followed closely 8.2 inches in Morrisville.

Here in St. Albans, I collected 6.5 inches. Burlington collected six inches as of shortly before 7 a.m today. 

Also as expected, the snow slowed down traffic quite a bit. The worst problem locally was in Sunny Hollow on Route 7 in Colchester. Several cars couldn't make it up the steep hills in that area, ad had to be pulled out. That really snarled traffic there.

An accident also had traffic seriously backed up amid heavy snow on the Killington Access Road Friday afternoon. 

Road conditions are definitely improving this morning. There are still slick spots, but just go a little slow and you'll be fine.

A cold front was slopping south through Vermont as of 8 a.m. Temperatures were near 20 degrees in the north and in the low 30s in southern Vermont. Since we're getting into daylight and sunshine, temperatures will hold in the low to mid 30s south and rise only into the mid and upper 20s central and north.

But I'm burying the lede. Here's the big story

BLIZZARD OF '26?

The American computer model from this morning
has a super intense storm with serious coastal
flooding and blizzard conditions for areas 
near the coastline from Delaware to New England. 

Forecasts for the coastline from Delaware north into New England have gotten rather  dire and extreme. 

The Nor'easter that just three days ago was supposed to harmlessly head out to sea is now going to bring a potentially historic storm to the the Northeast. Especially along and east of Interstate 95. 

Delaware, the Jersey Shore, New York City, Long Island and coastal Connecticut are under blizzard warnings for Sunday into Monday.

 I think those blizzard warnings will be extended into southeastern New England, too. 

Places under the blizzard warning look like they might receive one to two feet of snow, driven by winds of up to 55 mph.  

The early part of the storm will feature wet and heavy snow. That, combined with the strong winds, could cause some widespread power outages.T

Serious coastal flooding is also in the cards.

All the computer models agree the nor'easter will develop explosively on Sunday and quickly become perhaps the most intense storm in years. It's definitely a red alert storm. 

What we don't know is whether the northwestward drift in the expected path of the storm will continue or not. Which leaves questions about how far inland the heavy snow will get. For now. winter storm warnings for more eight to 16 inches of snow cover New Jersey away from the coast, southeast Pennsylvania, and the Hudson Valley north of New York City

In case the predicted storm track keeps going further northwest, winter storm watch covers Maryland,  a good chunk of Pennsylvania, New York as far north as Albany and New England as far north as the border between Massachusetts and Vermont and New Hampshire. 

As mentioned, this will probably be an historic storm. 

VERMONT EFFECTS

Until now, we didn't think Vermont would be affected by this nor'easter at all. Now it looks like the Green Mountain State will feel some effects, but it still doesn't look particularly scary for us.  

The forecast might still change, but for now Vermont's southernmost two counties could receive around six inches of snow Sunday night and Monday. A couple inches of snow might pile up as far north as Route 4.  Northern Vermont would get no additional snow under this scenario

Winds will probably pick up on Monday, especially in southern and eastern Vermont. It won't be anything damaging like near the coast, but gust to 30 mph will add to the late winter chill.

The nor'easter will also probably tug down a shot of Arctic air toward Tuesday. We'll have a 24 hour or so spell where daytime highs Tuesday would barely crack 20 degrees with an overnight low in the single number or even below zero.

And no rest for the weary. It looks like two more smaller storms might affect Vermont next Wednesday and Friday.  

I'll have much more on this nor'easter in future posts as this develops. 

Winter Weather: The South Is Doing It Again With Near-Blizzard, Intense Cold

This house in Rodanthe, North Carolina was one
of at least 15 Outer Banks houses that fell into
the ocean in 2025. A fierce nor'easter packing
winds of up to 75 mph, battering waves and
blizzard conditions is threatening more houses.

For the second time in a week, a wild blast of winter weather is brewing in the South, this time setting its sights on the Carolinas, and part of Georgia and Virginia. 

It might even snow a little in Florida again as that state, and much of the Southeast is once again facing bitter cold temperatures. 

This one, much like the Gulf Coast snowstorm a year ago, will be one for the history books. 

The main story is the nor'easter about to develop near North Carolina. It's the same one we were wondering a few days ago whether would see anything from it here in Vermont. We won't.

Eastern North Carolina and southeast Virginia could get eight to 12 inches of snow. The heaviest weather would come through Saturday night and early Sunday with strong winds and whiteout conditions - basically a blizzard.

The real scary spot will be out on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, which will be close to the center of the fast-intensifying and powerful nor'easter. This barrier island chain should see four to eight inches of snow with winds gusting to as high as 75 mph. So again, a blizzard.

In fact, it's possible the National Weather Service will ultimately issue a blizzard warning for the Outer Banks.  If that happens it will be the first time such a warning was issued for the area.

If a foot of snow falls near the coast, it'll be the first time since 1980 or 1989, depending on where you are near the North Carolina shore.   

Coastal flooding is a given, since forecasters predict a two to four foot storm surge and large, breaking waves of up to 12 feet.

At least 15 shoreline homes have fallen into the sea in 2025 in the Outer Banks, especially in and near the town of Rodanthe and Buxton. Those collapses occurred during only moderate-sized storms or due to hurricanes far offshore. 

It's a little frightening to think what might happen with an intense nor'easter scoring a direct hit on this area.  

Officials have declared a shelter-in-place emergency in the Outer Banks, meaning anyone who is safe from coastal flooding needs to stay indoors during the storm. 

Much of central and western North and South Carolina is expecting at least three to seven inches of snow out of this. What's known as a "deformation band" might set up somewhere in the region, giving some places in the central parts of the Carolinas up to a foot of snow. Exactly where that happens is still open to debate.

For the second time in a week due to a winter storm, North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein has declared a state of emergency for his state. 

Further south, Wilmington, North Carolina and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina are expecting about six or seven inches of snow, mostly Saturday night and early Sunday.  The area around Charleston, South Carolina can expect three to six inches of new snow .

The storm will extend into eastern Georgia, where places like Athens will see three to five inches of snow with winds or 35 mph. There could even be a little snow in northeast Florida. 

This snow will also be more unusual than most. In the rare times it does snow along the Southeast coast, it's wet and heavy. This snow will mostly be powdery. That means it'll blow around a lot, reducing visibility. On the bright side, there won't be many power outages. Especially since little if any freezing rain will hit anywhere with this storm. 

The nor'easter will largely avoid the rest of the East Coast. It will probably clip far southeastern New England with strong winds, a few inches of snow and the risk of coastal flooding on Sunday. It could give a nasty blow to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland in Canada early next week.

EXTREME SOUTHERN COLD

As the storm begins to depart from North Carolina Sunday, it will pull extremely cold air into the Southeast from more northern parts of the U.S.

Meteorologist expect many record lows to be set with this cold wave. That, in addition to the dozens of record lows this week in the wake of last weekend's winter storm. 

Extreme cold warnings are in effect throughout the Southeast. Places in northern Mississippi that still do not have electricity after last weekend's ice storm can expect temperatures near 10 degrees this weekend.  

The cold wave in Florida is going to be odd. Usually, frost and freezes in Florida have relatively little wind. 

This time, the frigid temperatures Saturday night will be accompanied by winds of up to 40 mph or even more in a few spots. That'll bring wind chills well into the single digits and teens to a state that's not prepared for that kind of weather. Officials are worried about the homeless population around the state. 

On Saturday night, strong northwest winds coming off the Gulf of Mexico into the deep cold in Florida could produce snow flurries as far south as Tampa. There's a very slight chance Tampa could receive measurable snow, even if it's a quarter inch or less. If that happens, it'll be only the third time history the city has gotten measurable snow. The other times were in 1899 and 1977.

The Tampa area saw flurries that did not accumulate in December, 1989 and January, 2010.

Many areas of Florida will have their hardest freeze in years. 

A freeze watch is in effect as far south as Miami-Dade and Broward counties away from the coast. Temperatures in Miami are forecast to fall into the mid-30s Saturday night with wind chills in the 20s. 

The weather is generating weird headlines like this one in the Miami Herald: "Will Insurance Cover Frozen Iguana Damage In Miami?"

Iguanas get stunned by the cold and fall from trees. They can be heavy enough to damage cars and lightweight buildings.  The answer to the Miami Heralds question is yes, depending on whether you have comprehensive coverage or not. 

Temperatures across the Southeast are forecast to warm up somewhat by early next week. But temperatures will remain well below at least through the week.