Snow and ice will start streaking eastward into the Northeast tomorrow.
While the worst of the storm will miss some heavily populated areas in the Northeast, it will not miss all of these locations.
The storm will be very complex and will span 48 hours in many locations, much longer than a typical winter storm. For some locations, this will be a two-part event with two periods of precipitation and a lull in between.
The storm will result in wet roads in southernmost areas, snow-covered roads in northern areas and snowy, icy and wet roads in the middle.
A couple of degrees difference in temperature may be all that lies between gridlock and relatively minor travel issues.
From Boston and Providence to Hartford, New York City, Scranton and Erie, Pa., a change to a wintry mix, including ice, will occur at the height of the storm, but not before enough snow to shovel and plow occurs.
Ice will cause problems in part of this snow area, enough to weigh down trees and power lines and add weight to roofs in southern New England.
A major ice storm is a prime concern stretching in a narrow band from the south coast of New England to the northern and western suburbs of New York City and Philadelphia through central and southwestern Pennsylvania into the Ohio Valley states. The ice build-up would follow a relatively modest amount of snow, considering what storms have produced along the East Coast earlier this winter.
The key to the extent of damage in this area will be whether most of the ice falls as freezing rain or sleet. Sleet would pose major travel problems, but it would not cling to trees and power lines, like freezing rain would.
Some areas could be hit with a large amount of sleet, then freezing rain, acting like "super glue." Roads, sidewalks and cars could be encased in a half-inch thick layer of this nearly impenetrable stuff.
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