“Predicting snowfall in the country’s capital is rarely easy, but confidence is growing that the DC area will see significant snowfall developing on Sunday and lasting until Monday,” said CNN meteorologist Taylor Ward.
A major winter storm is in the works that could bring the nation’s capital as much as 25 inches of snow. This would end the 708 day streak that Washington, DC, has gone without a snowfall of more than 1 inch.
“The only other time this happened was a 788-day streak that ended in 2013,” said CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller.
The trail of the storm
On Saturday, the storm system will cause heavy rain in the belly of the country. Salt Lake City may also see some persistent snow showers Saturday morning.
Areas farther east, such as St. Louis and Springfield, Illinois, will see more rain / snow through Sunday. How much snow exactly sticks to the ground remains uncertain.
A week after parts of Iowa were ravaged by snow, the state of Hawkeye was able to see a few more inches this weekend.
Winds will pick up along the Central Plains on Saturday, increasing fire hazards for parts of Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.
Much of the Mississippi River Valley will receive heavy rainfall, and parts of the Midwest will receive snow. Chicago is under a winter storm warning through Sunday morning, with possibly 5-9 inches of snow. Along with the snow, wind speeds of 30 mph are expected in the region, which can result in dangerous travel conditions.
The best chance of heavy snowfall appears to include areas of northern Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio, as well as southern Wisconsin.
The storm will continue to the east, dump rain to the southeast and snow in the Ohio Valley before moving east, creating concern in parts of North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia.
An evolving Nor’easter
“The snow will move from southwest to northeast Saturday evening and early Sunday night, while snow is likely to be widespread by mid-late morning on Sunday,” said the Baltimore and Washington, DC weather offices.
From Sunday afternoon to Monday there is the option of a switch to sleet and sleet.
With the storm system still days away, there is still some uncertainty in the prediction of how much snow will fall in the Northeast.
“There appears to be a consensus among the forecast models that moderate to heavy snow will occur from parts of Virginia to Pennsylvania and New Jersey, but some uncertainty remains about the exact course of the low pressure Monday through Tuesday,” , said Ward. “This will significantly affect the amount of snow falling from New York City to New England. A storm system running parallel to the coast would increase snowfall, while a more eastward path to sea would limit New England snow totals. . “
That could make all the difference in places like Boston and New York City, where four inches of snow or a foot can be seen.
The Philadelphia weather office forecasts more than six inches of snow with gusts of wind up to 45 mph “causing significant drifting and drifting snow.”
The Boston weather office on Friday hinted about the storm and its possible consequences.
The storm will then hit the coast at the end of Tuesday.
CNN’s Allison Chinchar contributed to this report.