Stormy setup in the Northeast: who will see rain versus snow?

While the official date of the winter solstice rapidly approaches on Saturday, Dec. 21, residents across the Northeast have not missed out on an array of winter impacts over the last several weeks. From frigid air and blustery winds to waves of lake-effect snow and more general storms with snow, ice and rain, Mother Nature has presented several examples of the winter season being in full force across this corridor of the nation.

As the week progresses, the active pattern will resume, with additional waves of storms on the horizon for the Eastern states. The next storm will begin to produce a stripe of snow over the north-central United States on Tuesday.

"A roller-coaster ride of a forecast is in store across the Northeast this week, featuring a wintry mix, rain, a warmup and then the potential for an impactful storm late in the week into the weekend that can feature accumulating snow and very chilly air settling in," explained AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham.

Buckingham noted that following quickly behind the wintry mix of rain, ice and snow from Sunday to Monday morning, milder air surging in ahead of a separate storm will bring the risk for rain across the Northeast between Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning.

As the week continues, the chances for rain will persist across the Mississippi and Tennessee valleys into the mid-Atlantic states and southern New England. Forecasters say that while it will provide some degree of drought relief across portions of the Plains and Northeast, this wet pattern can also produce localized flooding where repeat rounds of rain set up.

From early to midweek, temperatures will trend milder as the slightly warmer flow sets up across the Great Lakes and Northeast, reaching into the 40s and 50s Fahrenheit in some of the major metros by the afternoon hours.

This will allow for mainly rain to spread across much of the mid-Atlantic region. But farther north, the cooler air seeping southward from Canada will result in areas of snow as this midweek storm advances to the coast.

A general 1-3 inches of snow is forecast to fall from the storm from near the Pennsylvania/New York border northward to the St. Lawrence Valley. However, there will be pockets where 3-6 inches will fall, primarily over the Adirondack, Green and White Mountains.

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As the week progresses, shots of cold air will continue to advance southward from Canada. Not only will this pattern increase heating demand for residents, the chilly setup will also introduce additional chances for any storms that enter the region to produce winter impacts.

Thanks to a storm from western Canada, often called an Alberta clipper, another round of snow will streak across the Upper Midwest and Northeast before the end of the week.

Looking ahead to the upcoming weekend, forecasters warn that those planning early holiday get-togethers or even tailgating plans for college football playoffs may have potential wintry weather to contend with.

"The potential exists for a storm to develop between Friday and Saturday along the East coast, elevating the risk for an impactful snowstorm across portions of the Northeast and New England this weekend," detailed Buckingham.

"Slight shifts in the expected storm track will play a significant role in the upcoming forecast, but it is worth noting that there can be impacts to holiday travelers if the storm takes a track near the coast."

Regardless of any coastal storm, the coldest air of the season so far will blast into the Northeast from Friday to this weekend.

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