Winter storm systems to sweep across East this weekend ahead of massive arctic outbreak

After a brief pause in the arctic air during the end of the workweek, a series of frontal boundaries will help usher in the coldest air of the season, beginning over the weekend and continuing into the upcoming week.Unlike classic episodes where blizzards and severe weather often form the demarcation line between air masses, the upcoming storm systems aren’t expected to be overly organized when they approach the eastern US, leading to light to occasionally moderate amounts of precipitation.Between the two storm systems, a maximum of 1-3 inches of snowfall is expected for parts of the Northeast, while 1-3 inches of rainfall is expected in the warm zone over the Southeast.Where the two forms of precipitation meet in the transition zone, travel is expected to be most problematic, especially in places that aren’t used to the frozen precipitation, such as North Carolina, Virginia and the Delmarva Peninsula.It is in the mid-Atlantic where ice, especially during the cold mornings, could be the most challenging and lead to difficult travel.Undoubtedly, the biggest story will be the cold air, not the precipitation, by early next week as the thermometer will approach zero from Chicago and Kansas City through Philadelphia and Boston.Much of the Southeast won’t be immune from the dangerously cold air as the 20s are expected to reach as far south as the Gulf Coast during the presidential inauguration week.A brief respite from the cold air will allow most major cities to experience precipitation in liquid form this weekend, from Florida and Georgia through the Interstate 95 corridor in the Northeast.The heaviest rainfall is expected between I-10 and I-20, with 1-3 inches possible before the weekend ends.Due to the precipitation’s composition, snowfall is only likely in interior locations of the Northeast, New England and higher elevations, with accumulations generally light, ranging from 1-3 inches.Following this event, a secondary area of ...