Quick-hitting snow to brush New England Thursday

A storm riding along a blast of arctic air will spread a swath of snow from the Great Lakes at midweek to the Northeast before the end of the week.

Yet another Alberta Clipper will drop in from Canada this week. As is often the case with these moisture-starved storms, the snow will tend to be light and more of a nuisance for most areas.

The storm will bring another round of slippery roads and perhaps minor airline delays from Detroit to New York City and Boston.

While the storm will strengthen as it reaches the Atlantic Ocean, it will not do so quickly enough to bring a major snowstorm New England.

The storm will affect Detroit, Cleveland and Buffalo, New York, on Wednesday into Wednesday night. A bit of snow will affect Pittsburgh and part of the central Appalachians Wednesday night.

During the day Thursday, a little snow is likely to impact Philadelphia; New York City; Albany, New York; and Hartford, Connecticut.

A couple of showers of mixed rain and snow can occur as far south as Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Dover, Delaware, with the greatest chance for slippery travel during Thursday night as arctic air begins to sweep in.

There is a chance of a few inches of snow across southeastern Massachusetts and eastern Long Island to coastal New Hampshire and Maine from Thursday night into Friday. The storm will begin to strengthen and turn northward as it moves offshore.

Workers and school districts around Providence, Rhode Island, and Boston will want want to monitor this close call, and next potential snowfall and snow day.

The storm could add more insult to injury for property owners, cities and townships in southeastern New England struggling with how to pay for snow removal, let alone where to put it.

At least for this particular storm the snow will tend to be more of a nuisance, rather than another major blow to commerce.

Since the storm is not likely to strengthen rapidly, southeastern New England will be spared from a major snowstorm. However, heavy snow is likely to hit areas from Nova Scotia to southern Newfoundland.

Still, the exact track and speed of strengthening of the storm will determine how far north and west the accumulating snow expands across New England to before the system heads rolls out toward Atlantic Canada. AccuWeather.com will continue to provide updates on this storm and others.

As the Alberta Clipper sweeps by, Arctic will follow from the Upper Midwest to the Northeast.

Areas made wet and slushy from the storm and moderate temperatures during the middle of the week can become icy and freeze solid. Temperatures may get so low that inexpensive ice-melting compounds, such as rock salt, will be ineffective.

The parade of Alberta Clipper storms will not stop during the school week.
The next Alberta Clipper storm is forecast to dive into the Northeast states during the Valentines Day weekend with another round of snow.

The clipper storm storm this weekend is likely to be accompanied by dangerously cold air with gusty winds regardless of the amount of snow it brings.

Since the storm this weekend will strengthen quickly it has the potential to bring moderate to heavy snowfall to part of the Northeast.