New York may get up to 12 inches of snow from midweek storm

Sunday’s springlike temperatures are giving way to winter conditions across the Northeast, with the threat of snow rising for New York and New England from a fast-moving storm that will hit late Wednesday.New York could get 8 to 12 inches of snow starting Wednesday afternoon from a storm starting to come together across the western U.S., said Bob Oravec, a senior branch forecaster at the U.S. Weather Prediction Center. Earlier outlooks had called for mainly rain in the five boroughs.“Some of the heaviest snow axis is right across the New York metropolitan area,” Oravec said. “It is kind of questionable for D.C. and Philadelphia whether it will be rain or snow. But New York City has a good chance at the moment.”

The storm will be the second of two sweeping the eastern U.S. The first, much weaker, will bring a dusting of snow to a few inches across the region Monday, just as trucks carrying Pfizer Inc.’s Covid vaccine from Michigan fan out across the country. It will be the second storm on Wednesday that will bring the worst weather to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. It has prompted winter storm watches and advisories to pop up from Kentucky to New Jersey.

Winter storms caused $2.1 billion in insured losses across the U.S. last year and about $3 billion in 2018, according to Munich Re. The snowy and icy weather also snarls airline, highway and rail traffic, as well as creating power outages and affecting retail sales. In 2019, 13 people died across the U.S. from winter weather, according to the National Weather Service.The projected track of the storm has shifted enough to take New York out of the rain portion and deposit it directly in the path of the snow, which could stretch into New England and blanket southern Massachusetts with up to 12 inches. Boston will likely get closer to 6 inches.The threat is marginal for Philadelphia and Washington as the forecast calls for a mix of rain and snow that could hold accumulations down.The winter blast comes after temperatures soared to 62 degrees Fahrenheit (17 Celsius) in Central Park and 66 in Washington, the National Weather Service said. The readings will continue to drop through Monday with a low of 30 forecast overnight.