An East Coast Storm, Nor'easter with Snow, Rain, Wind Is Possible Beginning This Weekend. Here's What We Know

An East Coast storm is expected to develop this weekend, but the track of this potential nor'easter isn't yet determined, leaving impacts such as snow, rain, wind and coastal flooding from Sunday to Monday uncertain from New England to the mid-Atlantic states.

As is often the case, parts of this forecast are somewhat clearer, while others are quite uncertain.

Timing: late Saturday into Monday, with the peak snowfall occurring on Sunday and Monday.

- We expect low pressure to form Sunday off the East Coast, somewhere offshore between the Delmarva Peninsula and the Carolinas.

- That low pressure should quickly gain strength, and could do so quickly enough to be called a "bomb cyclone" by early Monday, a term for low pressure that intensifies rapidly.

The main uncertainty is where this offshore low tracks. That affects who may see snow, rain, wind and coastal flooding and the magnitude of those impacts.

To keep it simple, there are two extreme ends to this forecast:

1.The low intensifies too late and/or is too far offshore that impacts along the coast are minimal after some light rain, snow and gusty coastal winds Sunday.

2. The low intensifies and tracks closer to the coast, bringing the threat of coastal flooding, along with heavier rain or snow and high winds to the coast, and to some extent inland.

Wind gusts over 40 mph are also increasingly likely from coastal Virginia to eastern Massachusetts. These strong onshore winds could cause coastal flooding.

Snowfall rates could eclipse one inch per hour at times, especially closer to the coast. In some locations, combined with gusty winds, this could lead to scattered power outages. Reduced visibility will make travel in the later half of the weekend dangerous. This forecast may change in the next day or two. 

We recognize the severe impact that current conditions are having on our customers, and we are committed to restoring service levels as quickly as possible. As a result of these weather issues, the ALG Client Service Team will send daily updates as we monitor the progress and track job level.