Much of USA prepping for major snowstorm

The further south and east you go, the more snow that’s expected.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather alert for the Washington area for Wednesday night.

The National Weather Service forecast calls for a slight chance for flurries Wednesday night, but a winter storm headed toward the region will have a greater impact Thursday through Saturday. If the storm says to the south, southern ME and New Hampshire could see up to 1 to 2 inches of snow at the most. NWS said the combination of strong winds with snowfall at rates of over an inch per hour will produce near-blizzard conditions.

Snow was already reported Wednesday in much of Kentucky and Tennessee, leading school districts and some universities to cancel classes. The approaching full moon will cause high astronomical tides around the days where the storm will be near the coast, leading to heightened coastal concerns.

There is increased confidence this morning in a significant snow event for Northern Kentucky, with potentially 4-8 inches and isolated higher amounts in the WATCH AREA. Those totals could be adjusted up or down depending on the exact track of the storm, which is targeting the mid-Atlantic region. It appears this storm will have a sharp cut off between heavy snow and little to nothing over a short distance.

A blizzard watch is set to begin Friday afternoon and extend through late Saturday. Initially everything will start as cold rain, but as the temperatures drop, that rain will change to sleet and eventually snow.

Accumulations: A coating to a few inches for most of the state with the least snow in far northern CT.

The National Weather Service in Albany offered this storm forecast for the coming weekend on Wednesday.

“Our goal with this potential winter storm…is to be over-prepared and hopefully underwhelmed”, the governor said.

We’ll post an update to this story as soon as the National Weather Service provides one.

All major airlines have issued waivers for travel over the weekend, allowing passengers to rebook onto earlier or later flights to avoid the storms.

“It’s not out of the question that some localized areas receive over 2 feet of fresh snow”, according to CNN meteorologist Taylor Ward.