Heavy snow possible with significant weekend East Coast storm

The frigid pattern locked over the eastern United States may have one more trick up its sleeve this weekend in the form of a major coastal storm.

A potent upper-level low will swing south out of Canada late this week, bringing a renewed round of bitterly cold temperatures to the eastern half of the U.S. 

A model image showing the potent trough in the upper atmosphere on Saturday afternoon. (Tropical Tidbits)

This trough will likely spawn a coastal low-pressure system around the Carolinas late Friday or early Saturday, which would then parallel the coast through the weekend as it moves toward the Canadian Maritimes. 

A strengthening coastal storm with a bountiful reserve of cold air is a recipe for a potentially disruptive winter storm for many communities up and down the eastern seaboard.

The above graphic shows the Weather Prediction Center's probability of at least moderate winter weather impacts between 9:00 a.m. Saturday and 9:00 a.m. Sunday. The exact areas affected will obviously change as we get closer to the event, but this is a good proxy for where forecasters currently believe there's a potential for heavy snowfall this weekend. 

The key to impacts from any coastal storm is track, track, track. The precise track of the eventual low-pressure system will determine who sees snow and how much falls.

A track too close to the coast and you'll get a messy mix with snow inland. One that stays too far offshore and the heaviest precipitation will stay over open waters. The details will grow clearer later this week as the event draws closer. 

As always, keep an eye on the forecast and scout out a trusted local meteorologist (not a weather app, please) to guide you through the lead-up to this potentially impactful winter storm.

Either way, it's going to remain unseasonably cold into this weekend and possibly (likely?) into the first week of February.

Between the center of high pressure over the central U.S. and the winds blowing around our developing coastal storm, chilly temperatures will break through and make it all the way to southern Florida by Sunday morning. A forecast low of 26°F in Orlando would be the coldest temperature there since December 2010.

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