Heavy Snow for New England, Break for Mid-Atlantic States

Story by AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Heather Buchman
State College, Pa. — 16 February 2010 — AccuWeather.com reports a snowstorm moving through the East is targeting New England with its heaviest snow instead of the mid-Atlantic. While the snow will cause significant travel disruptions through tonight, it’s a win-win situation for many.
There has been a severe lack of snow in New England this winter and a record-breaking surplus of it in the mid-Atlantic. Two blizzards that hit areas from Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia over the past two weeks have been costly and immobilizing.
Some mid-Atlantic cities have already maxed out their snow removal budgets. Any more substantial snowfall in the region in the coming weeks will further exhaust resources. Fortunately, snow spreading through the region today will be light, accumulating no more than a coating to an inch or two before tapering off by tonight.
While people across the mid-Atlantic are breathing a sigh of relief, people across New England couldn’t be happier about the snow currently spreading through the region. A lack of snow this winter has caused cancellations of winter festivals and dogsled races and kept people from enjoying winter activities such as sledding and skiing.
The snow with the current storm should help to get some of these activities back on track. Snowfall totals are expected to reach 6 to 10 inches from western Massachusetts into far southwestern Maine by early Wednesday morning.
A broader 3 to 6 inches will blanket areas from eastern New York to Downeast Maine.
Despite some of the longer term benefits, people across New England will have to deal with some of the short-term aggravations heavy snow brings. Travelers will need to take it slow and allow plenty of time to reach their destinations as roads become snow-covered and slippery.
Airline passengers will also encounter flight delays and possibly even cancellations.