Is your city on the list? Developing nor'easter could usher in first significant snow for the Northeast
A shot of snow is expected at higher elevations on Thursday, with more significant snow spreading across the interior Northeast Friday night as the nor'easter lifts north.
Developing nor'easter expected to spread first significant snow to New England, lash I-95 with rain
A storm system is expected to race through the Ohio Valley Wednesday before moving off the coast and strengthening into a nor'easter toward the end of the week, which would lash the Interstate 95 corridor with widespread rain, while delivering the first significant snow to northern New England and Upstate New York into the weekend.
It's been the warmest fall on record across much of the central and eastern part of the country, which has confined the season's first flakes to higher elevations in the Intermountain West as well as parts of the Northern Plains, northern Michigan and northern Maine.
However, a brewing nor'easter is expected to usher in the season's first snow to as many as seven northeastern states this weekend, with parts of the Midwest and Ohio Valley also expected to see their first snow.
These places have seen their first flakes of the season.
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Homeowners across Upstate New York, northern Pennsylvania, western Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and most of Maine will likely be breaking out the rock salt for the first time this season as a storm races through the region Thursday before sliding off the coast and transitioning into a nor'easter on Friday.
A shot of snow is expected at higher elevations on Thursday, with more significant snow spreading across the interior Northeast Friday night as the nor'easter lifts north.
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The coast and Interstate 95 corridor will see widespread rain with temperatures too warm to support snow. Parts of far-northwestern Connecticut could see a coating of snow.
Expected snowfall
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Snow winners
Snow lovers will see the biggest accumulations in New England's Green and White Mountains, New York's Adirondacks, the Alleghany Plateau and West Virginia Appalachians.
Lake Placid, New York — Up to a foot
Lake Placid, New York, the site of the 1980 Winter Olympics, could see close to a foot of snow through Saturday. Lake Placid is nestled in the Adirondacks at more than 1,800 feet above sea level.
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Saranac Lake, New York — 5-8 inches
Saranac Lake, just 9 miles west of Lake Placid and about 300 feet lower in elevation, could see 5 to 8 inches of snow.
Expected snowfall
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Rutland, Vermont — 5-8 inches
Another bull's-eye snow region is expected to set up around Rutland in central Vermont, which sits along the western slopes of the Green Mountains and could also see between 5-8 inches of snow.
While Burlington, Vermont, which is about 35 miles south of the Canadian border as the crow flies, but much closer to sea level, is expected to see between 1 and 3 inches of snow.
Farther south, Albany, New York, and Portland, Maine, could each see a coating to an inch of snow.
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Chance of seeing more than 6 inches of snow through Saturday
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Lake-effect snow winners
Behind the nor'easter, parts of western New York and the Great Lakes could see their first significant snow accumulations from lake-effect snow as temperatures plummet into the 30s for the first time this season.
Marquette, Michigan — 5-8 inches
While Michigan's Upper Peninsula has already seen their first flakes, places around Marquette could see 5-8 inches of snow from Friday through Saturday as lake-effect snow blows off Lake Superior. Marquette is under a Winter Weather Advisory through Friday.
Expected snowfall
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Valparaiso, Indiana — 5-8 inches
Parts of Ohio and Indiana will see their first snow of the season as the lake-effect machine cranks over Lake Michigan. Lake-effect snow falls in bands steered by the wind, which can lead to highly localized totals. Some communities can be buried in snow, while others just a few miles away see only a light dusting.
Expected snowfall
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Case in point, Valparaiso, Indiana, appears to be in the jackpot zone of 5-8 inches of snow this weekend, while Michigan City, just 20 miles away, is expected to receive just a coating to an inch of snow.
Snow potential next 10 days
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Meanwhile, a powerful storm that's being ushered into the Pacific Northwest by an atmospheric river this weekend could bring first snow to parts of northern California.
Average first snow
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November generally sees the beginning of the transition to winter and typically brings the first measurable snow of the season for much of the country.