A winter storm rolled up the snow-weary east coast on Sunday, threatening to shatter some areas with one foot of snow just a week after a strong nor’easter flashed parts of the region with two feet of snow.
AccuWeather forecasters said the emerging weather pattern did not appear to threaten a repeat of the blockbuster storm that shattered snowfall records across the region last week.
“This blizzard … will be a fleeting blow, but still a violent storm from the mid-Atlantic to the northeast,” said AccuWeather meteorologist Bernie Rayno.
The storm comes as an explosion of arctic air from Canada blew the coldest air of the season yet across the plains. The polar vortex is expected to give the cold weather “a free ride,” said AccuWeather senior meteorologist Brett Anderson, bringing a great deal of chill across the Midwest and East for most of the week.
About 50 million people were under a winter storm watch or warning on Sunday. New York City, still recovering from nearly 2 feet of snow, should see 4 to 8 inches before the snow ended on Sunday night.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said Sunday’s snowfall would not shut down COVID-19 vaccination sites. But the city, where many restaurants have been able to put tables on streets to facilitate al fresco dining, stopped street dining on Sundays.
That’s a setback for restaurants hoping for the Super Bowl business.
“Restaurants should remove or secure furniture and remove electric heaters,” the city’s emergency management said in a statement. “If possible, remove the tops of structures or remove snow from structures regularly to avoid damage.”
An arctic explosion is coming: we can blame the infamous polar vortex.
Isaac Elvis, owner of the Casa di Isacco trattoria in Hell’s Kitchen, told CBS2 he won’t stop serving people who want to eat on his outdoor structure.
“I spent $ 30,000 on it outside. Table, heat, everything. People have to eat,” he said. “I’m not closing.”
Allentown, Pennsylvania was forecast to see 3 to 5 inches. That’s in addition to the 27 inches the city of 120,000 people got last week. The last storm comes a day after the city finishes its lack of snow for the last storm. The neighbors Bethlehem and Easton declared fresh snow emergencies for Sunday.
AccuWeather said 3 to 6 inches of snow would likely extend from eastern Tennessee to northern Virginia, then parts of New Jersey, New York and New England. Part of southeastern Massachusetts and eastern Long Island, New York, could get 6 to 12 inches.
That won’t be the end. AccuWeather forecasters predicted more snow opportunities later this week and next week as the arctic air plummets from central Canada and spreads across the central and eastern United States. An active storm track was forecast. The Midwest was already grappling with unusually low temperatures – Chicago dropped below 0 degrees on Sunday – heading east.
AccuWeather said it was monitoring a possible storm designed to spread snow from parts of the Midwest to much of the Northeast, starting as early as Monday evening.
