The calendar might say November, but the weather map thinks its winter.
Thanks in part to temperatures 15 to 30 degrees below normal across much of the eastern U.S., National Weather Service offices have issued winter weather advisories and warnings from Mississippi to Maine as a major storm system continues to take shape.
Snow in the Deep South is rare at any time of year, and especially in November. Yet places like Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana have seen some flakes and even accumulation over the past day as the storm system really begins to gather strength. In some of those places, like Houston, this snow is the earliest on record. This is on the heels of snow across the Rockies and into the Southern Plains which was largely a result of the same slow-moving system.
A primary cause of the snow unusually far south is the big upper-level low pressure system and its deep pool of cold air. In addition to the snow it has created on its own, it will eventually spur the development of a new area of low pressure near the coast of the Carolinas today that will spread heavy rain, ice and snow through the Mid-Atlantic states.
These two low pressure zones will ultimately mesh off the coast of New Jersey into Friday, plastering the Northeast with wintry precipitation.
For now, the first low is continuing to develop across parts of the South and Midwest. A winter storm warning was up in St. Louis and surrounds, where a half-foot or more of snow was expected to fall.
The St. Louis region may be something of the epicenter of snow from the first low-pressure zone, with lesser amounts expected to spread through the Ohio Valley. Only an inch or so of snow was forecast on Columbus and Cleveland today.
Meanwhile, the East Coast low was set to start riding up the coast in tandem with the parent upper-level low to its west. While the early-season nor’easter was set to deliver more wet than white to the coastal areas, a wintry mix was anticipated in cities from Washington to Boston.
Heavier amounts are predicted west of the big cities. At least a few inches of snow was expected along the spine of the mountains from the Virginias northward.
The high country of interior Pennsylvania through New York and into New England could see as much as 8 to 12 inches from this winter storm.
While this storm is certainly on the early side overall, a city like Binghamton in the Southern Tier of New York — where a winter storm watch was in effect — is no stranger to November snow. As recently as 2016, they picked up 27.6 inches during the month.
To the south and east of the region of mostly snow, a belt of mixed precipitation is likely near the Interstate 81 corridor, including places like Winchester, Va.; Hagerstown, Md.; and Scranton, Pa. In addition to a few inches of snow, ice accumulation of up to 0.25 is possible in spots, which may lead to hazardous roads and power outages.
On the coast, most of the precipitation will fall as rain. Some spots right on the water may top two inches when all is said and done. More broadly, a large area of significant totals are anticipated up and down the East Coast. Some large waves and beach erosion also are likely.