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Potential Nor'easter Takes Aim On Area Just In Time For Groundhog Day

A look at one projected track for the storm.

A look at one projected track for the storm.

Photo Credit: AccuWeather.com

The time frame in this region is Saturday afternoon, Feb. 1 and overnight into Sunday, Feb. 2, which happens to be Groundhog Day.

The storm is expected to gather in the southeastern United States on Friday, Jan. 31 before heading northeastward for the weekend. If it merges with a separate storm moving east from central Canada, it is expected to move inland up the coast, quickly gaining strength, and leading to Scenario 1 in the first image above.

"If the two storms join quickly, then the southern storm will rapidly strengthen along the mid-Atlantic and New England coasts and precipitation could expand inland from the Interstate 95 corridor to the I-77 and I-81 corridors," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dave Dombek.

If the storm moves off the coast (Scenario 2 in the second image above), it would also have a significant impact.

In the third possible path (See image No. 3), the storm would veer out to sea after reaching the middle Atlantic Coast, and there would be little or no impact on this region.

There is still much uncertainty surrounding the strength and path of the storm.

Check back to Daily Voice for updates.

This winter has seen snowfall that's been far below average.

But on the eve of Groundhog Day, Punxsutawney Phil may be getting a wakeup call.

That's because there's a possibility of a Nor'easter looming for the weekend.

"The track of the storm is highly prone to shifting in the coming days, and the exact track of the storm will be a huge factor in how intense the storm will be for a given location," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson said.

The storm is expected to gather in the Gulf of Mexico on Friday, Jan. 31 before heading northeastward for the weekend.

The time frame in this region is Saturday afternoon, Feb. 1 and overnight into Sunday, Feb. 2, which happens to be Groundhog Day. 

It's too early to nail down possible accumulation amounts as the strength and track of the storm are now uncertain, with at least two different paths possible, including the scenario shown in the image above.

Here's what to expect through the rest of the week:

Tuesday, Jan. 28: Mostly cloudy and breezy with a high temperature around 40 degrees. Winds gusts will be around 20 miles per hour, making for wind-chill values between 20 and 30 degrees. The overnight low will be around 20 degrees with wind-chill values between 10 and 15.

Wednesday, Jan. 29: Sunny with a high temperature in the mid to upper 30s and wind-chill values between 10 and 20 degrees. It will be clear overnight with a low temperature around 15 and wind-chill values between 5 and 10 degrees.

Thursday, Jan. 30: Sunny with a high temperature in the mid 30s. The overnight low temperature will be around 20 degrees.

Friday, Jan. 31: Mostly sunny with a high temperature near 40 degrees.

Saturday, Feb. 1: The day will start out partly sunny before clouds increase. There is a chance for rain and snow starting at noon and continuing through the overnight into Sunday, Feb. 2.

Check back to Daily Voice for updates.

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