National Weather Highlight for 2 / 9 / 10: Whoa! More heavy snow likely for PA, MD, DE, and NJ

New London, Chester County, PA was one of many Mid-Atlantic locations which received two feet (or more) of snowfall Friday 2 / 5 into Saturday 2 / 6, and is one of many locations which may see up to 18 more inches of snow Tuesday 2 / 9 into Wednesday 2 / 10!  See my recent National Weather Highlights for 2 / 5 - 6 snow statistics.  In today's National Weather Highlight, I will focus specifically on the new Winter Storm Warning that the National Weather Service in Philadelphia, PA / Mount Holly, NJ has issued for the upcoming 2 / 9 - 10 snow event:

WINTER STORM WARNING ZONES: NEW CASTLE, KENT (DE), CECIL, KENT (MD), QUEEN ANNES, TALBOT, CAROLINE, SUSSEX (DE), WARREN (NJ), MORRIS, HUNTERDON, SOMERSET (NJ), MIDDLESEX, WESTERN MONMOUTH, EASTERN MONMOUTH, MERCER (NJ), SALEM, GLOUCESTER, CAMDEN, NORTHWESTERN BURLINGTON, OCEAN, CUMBERLAND (NJ), ATLANTIC, SOUTHEASTERN BURLINGTON, CARBON, MONROE, BERKS, LEHIGH, NORTHAMPTON, CHESTER, MONTGOMERY (PA), BUCKS, DELAWARE, and PHILADELPHIA

WINTER STORM WARNING AREA INCLUDES THE CITIES OF: WILMINGTON, DOVER, ELKTON, CHESTERTOWN, CENTREVILLE, EASTON, DENTON, NEWTON, WASHINGTON, MORRISTOWN, FLEMINGTON, SOMERVILLE, NEW BRUNSWICK, FREEHOLD, SANDY HOOK, TRENTON, PENNSVILLE,
GLASSBORO, CAMDEN, CHERRY HILL, MOORESTOWN, MOUNT HOLLY, JACKSON, MILLVILLE, HAMMONTON, LONG BEACH ISLAND, JIM THORPE, STROUDSBURG, READING, ALLENTOWN, BETHLEHEM, WEST CHESTER, NORRISTOWN, DOYLESTOWN, MEDIA, and PHILADELPHIA

WINTER STORM WARNING EFFECTIVE TIME: 4 PM TUESDAY TO MIDNIGHT EST WEDNESDAY NIGHT

WINTER STORM WARNING SYNOPSIS / OVERVIEW: LOW PRESSURE MOVING FROM THE TEXAS GULF COAST TONIGHT WILL HEAD INTO THE OHIO VALLEY TUESDAY. THAT LOW WILL GIVE UP ITS ENERGY TO A COASTAL STORM WHICH WILL DEVELOP ALONG THE NORTHERN NORTH CAROLINA COAST LATE TUESDAY AND TUESDAY EVENING. BY WEDNESDAY MORNING, THIS NOR'EASTER IS FORECAST TO INTENSIFY STRONGLY JUST SOUTHEAST OF OUR AREAAND LIKELY BRINGING HEAVY SNOW TO A GOOD PART OF OUR AREA OVERNIGHT TUESDAY INTO THE DAY ON WEDNESDAY.

SOUTHEAST OF INTERSTATE 95 THE SNOW MAY MIX WITH SLEET AND RAIN AT TIMES DURING THE FIRST HALF OF THE DAY ON WEDNESDAY. THIS IS MORE LIKELY CLOSER TO THE COAST. BUT AS COLDER AIR WRAPS AROUND THE STORM EVEN THESE AREAS ARE EXPECTED TO CHANGE BACK TO ALL SNOW.

TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM 10 TO 18 INCHES WITH THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS OVER THE NORTHERN EASTERN SHORE OF MARYLAND, NORTHERN DELAWARE AND EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA. HEAVY SNOW SHOULD OCCUR IN TWO BURSTS ACROSS THE REGION. THE FIRST WILL OCCUR TUESDAY NIGHT WITH FOUR TO EIGHT INCHES LIKELY TO ACCUMULATE BY THE MORNING COMMUTE WEDNESDAY. THE SECOND SHOT WILL BE AN EVEN MORE INTENSE BURST OF HEAVY SNOW WITH THE UPPER AIR DISTURBANCE ITSELF THAT SHOULD OCCUR IN THE PHILADELPHIA AREA, MARYLAND AND DELAWARE DURING WEDNESDAY MORNING AND NEW JERSEY AND NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA DURING WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. THE SNOW WILL END BY MIDNIGHT WEDNESDAY NIGHT.

WINDS WILL INCREASE AS WEDNESDAY CONTINUES AND WILL CAUSE CONSIDERABLE BLOWING AND DRIFTING OF SNOW, EVEN MORE THAN WHAT OCCURRED WITH THE WEEKEND SNOW STORM. AT AND NEAR THE ATLANTIC SHORE BLIZZARD CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE LATER IN THE DAY ON WEDNESDAY AS WINDS INCREASE.

PRECAUTIONARY / PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS: A WINTER STORM WARNING MEANS SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW AND SLEET ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. STRONG WINDS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE. THIS WILL MAKE TRAVEL VERY HAZARDOUS OR IMPOSSIBLE.

Additional Winter Storm Warning zones exist for other portions of the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions in similar time frames to the warning outlined above.  See various National Weather Service web sites for that additional information.

For more information on today's National Weather Highlight, visit the National Weather Service Philadelphia, PA / Mount Holly, NJ home page.