- Low pressure is intensifying off the East Coast.
- Snowfall will be heavy from this storm and blizzard conditions are occurring in some areas.
- Highs winds, coastal flooding and beach erosion are also threats.
Winter Storm Kenan is blasting parts of the East Coast with heavy snow and strong winds, including blizzard conditions that will cripple travel in some areas.
(MORE: How Winter Storms Are Named)
Low pressure is strengthening rapidly as it tracks off the East Coast in response to an upper-level disturbance moving through the eastern United States. That allowed Winter Storm Kenan to become a "bomb cyclone" – a term meteorologists use for a low-pressure system associated with fronts with a central pressure that plunges at least 24 millibars in 24 hours or less. In this case, it dropped 35 mb in 18 hours, as of Saturday morning. A storm with lower pressure is stronger.
Winter Storm Kenan met blizzard criteria Friday night into Saturday afternoon at Boston's Logan Airport; along the coastal strip of New Jersey; along the Delaware Beaches; in Suffolk County, New York; and in New London County, Connecticut.
Happening Now
This winter storm is producing snow in parts of the East with impressive snowfall rates in parts of New England. Heavy snow and blizzard conditions are expected through this afternoon in southeastern New England and into this afternoon in much of Maine.
As of early Saturday afternoon, an estimated 22.4 inches of snow was measured at Islip, New York. Additional snow reports can be found at the bottom of this article. As of 1 p.m., NYC's Central Park and Philadelphia have each picked up 7.5" and Boston has picked up 14.5".
Strong winds are expected into tonight as this system continues to intensify.
A wind gust of 83 mph was measured in Chatham, Massachusetts, and winds have gusted over 30 mph in New York City and 43 mph in Boston, as of Saturday morning. Nantucket island reported gusts over 60 mph.
The combination of wind and snow is greatly reducing visibility and leading to whiteout conditions at times.
In addition to the snow and wind, coastal flooding was observed Saturday morning, including on Nantucket.
Blizzard warnings are in effect from eastern New Jersey to central and eastern Long Island, southeast Connecticut, Rhode Island, eastern Massachusetts, coastal New Hampshire, coastal and eastern Maine. Boston, Providence, Portland, Maine, and Atlantic City, New Jersey, are among the locations in these warnings.
Winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories are in effect for many other areas along the East Coast. New York City, and Hartford are included in the winter storms warnings for a combination of significant snowfall and strong winds.
Travel should be avoided in any of the blizzard and winter storm warnings areas through Saturday night.
Below is our latest forecast timing followed by a breakdown of the snow totals as well as more details on the wind and coastal flood threats. Check back with us at weather.com and The Weather Channel app for important updates.
(MORE: Forecast Nor'easter Impacts)
Storm Timing
Saturday
Kenan will reach its peak intensity off the New England coast.
Heavy snow, high winds and coastal flooding will hammer southern and eastern New England and Long Island. Snowfall rates of 1 to 4 inches per hour are expected in the most intense snowbands over eastern New England.
This snow will gradually diminish in Long Island and southern New England Saturday night, but will continue in parts of eastern New England
Moderate to locally heavy snowfall will also fall from the New York City tri-state into the Delmarva Peninsula and Virginia Tidewater before ending Saturday afternoon.
Poor visibility from blowing snow is expected where accumulating snow overlaps with the stronger winds along the East Coast. Blizzard conditions are most likely in areas under blizzard warnings.
Sunday
Snow should have tapered off in most areas by Sunday morning.
Temperatures will be cold in the wake of the storm. Wind chills will be in the frigid single digits above and below zero to start the day since it will remain breezy.
(MAPS: Forecast Temperatures)
Snow, Wind, Coastal Flood Forecast
Snowfall
The heaviest snow from Kenan will be in eastern New England. At least a foot of snow is likely from eastern Massachusetts, Rhode Island and eastern Connecticut to parts of coastal Maine, shaded in darkest purple and pink in the map below. Some areas could see totals of up to 2 feet, including in the Boston metro area, where Kenan could be one of the city's all-time heaviest snowstorms.
Heavier snow amounts of at least 6 inches are also possible farther south near the coast from the New York City metro area to the Delmarva Peninsula.
There may be a sharp gradient between heavy snow and much lighter amounts on the storm's western fringe from, for instance, western Long Island to the northwest suburbs of the New York City tri-state, the Jersey shore to eastern Pennsylvania and from the Delmarva Peninsula to the western suburbs of Washington, D.C.
Wind Threat
The strongest winds in this storm will likely impact southeastern New England, where gusts as high as 70 mph are possible. Other areas from the New York tri-state area southward through the coastal mid-Atlantic could see gusts between 30 to 50 mph.
High winds in some coastal areas will be strong enough to knock out power and cause tree damage, especially in eastern and southern New England. The threat of at least some power outages might extend as far south as Long Island and the coastal mid-Atlantic.
Coastal Flooding
Coastal flooding, high surf and beach erosion are threats for much of the East Coast, from North Carolina to New England.
The next high tide of concern is between late afternoon and early evening, depending on the specific location. High astronomical tides are in place this weekend, which could act to worsen those threats.
Right now, the National Weather Service says at least minor coastal flooding is possible in these areas, but there could be pockets of moderate coastal flooding, especially in southeastern New England.
Snow and Wind Reports
Here's the top snowfall total reports by state, as of Saturday afternoon:
Connecticut: 14 inches in Sterling
Delaware: 13 inches in Millsboro
Maine: 2 inches near Millbridge
Maryland: 14 inches near Ocean Pines
Massachusetts: 17.6 inches in Norton; 14.5 inches in Boston
New Hampshire: 4 inches near Bedford and Salem
New Jersey: 19 inches in Bayville; 16 inches in Atlantic City
New York: 22.4 inches at Islip Airport
North Carolina: 9.7 inches near Burnsville
Pennsylvania: 8.9 inches in Belmont; 7.5 inches in Philadelphia
Rhode Island: 9 inches near Newport
South Carolina: estimated 3 inches in Florence
Virginia: estimated 9.5 inches near Oak Hall
Here's the top wind gust reports by state, as of Saturday afternoon:
Connecticut: 65 mph near New London
Maine: 71 mph near Cape Elizabeth
Massachusetts: 83 mph near Wellfleet
New Hampshire: 67 mph near Rye
New York: 63 mph near Montauk
Rhode Island: 72 mph near Block Island
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
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January 29, 2022 at 06:07PM
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