(CNN) – New York City and the surrounding region are expected to face “major to extreme” winter storms through Tuesday due to a powerful northeasterly forecast that will bring 12 to 18 inches of snow and gusts of wind up to 72 inches at 80 mph.
With heavy snow and high winds, blizzards are possible Monday, according to the National Weather Service office in New York. The biggest impact for the city is expected to be Monday, when 1 to 2 inches of snow can fall per hour, but the storm will last until Tuesday.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio urged residents to stay home during the storm. Face-to-face school will go completely isolated on Monday and covid-19 vaccination appointments will be rescheduled, he said.
In total, more than 110 million Americans will feel the twinge of winter earlier this week as the northeast wind blows toward the most densely populated cities on the East Coast.
Citing expected snow, high winds and coastal flooding, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Sunday instructed government agencies to mobilize emergency resources.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency at 7 p.m.
The Emergency Operations Center has been activated and agents are ready to assist if needed. Power outages are expected and state officials are in contact with utility companies in their preparations for the storm, according to a press release from Murphy’s office.
State offices, Covid-19 vaccination “megasites” and most public transportation will be closed Monday, the statement said.
Snowfall in Washington
It’s been nearly two years since Washington had a snowfall of more than an inch, but that could change drastically later on Sunday. The town is under a winter storm warning through Sunday evening, with possibly 25 to 20 inches of snow. There will probably be more snow on Monday.
“Predicting snowfall in the country’s capital is rarely easy, but it gives confidence that the Washington area will experience significant snowfall that will develop on Sunday and Monday through Monday,” said CNN meteorologist Taylor Ward.
The storm can bring up to 25 inches of snow to the capital. This would end the 709-day streak that Washington has gone without snowfall greater than an inch.
“The only other time this happened was a 788-day streak that ended in 2013,” said CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller.
LOOK: Nearly 100 million people on winter storm alert in the US.
The path of the storm
As of Sunday morning, more than 110 million people were under winter weather warnings from the southern Great Lakes to New England. The storm left heavy snow in northern Illinois and central Indiana, causing travel headaches.
It will strengthen into a powerful northeast storm on Monday morning when it reaches the coast. This will be a long-running event for many along the East Coast as it will take time to roll out.
The snow will fall in periodic gusts of wind from Washington, Philadelphia, New York to Boston over the next three days, gradually decreasing from southwest to northeast.
Here is the latest information on the multi-day winter storm from the Midwest to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. pic.twitter.com/9I039f6aAQ
– NWS Weather Forecast Center (@NWSWPC) January 30, 2021
Major consequences are expected
Heavy snowfall is accompanied by strong winds, which reduce visibility and cause power outages. Travel stoppages will be extended from the ground to the sky as the storm covers roads and runways with fresh snow.
Snowfall rates of 2.5 to 5 inches per hour were reported Saturday night near Chicago, where up to 23 inches of snow is forecast for Sunday evening.
As the storm moves east, it will reorganize and intensify. The greatest snow accumulation occurs from New Jersey to southern New York, eastern Pennsylvania and parts of Maryland, where it is possible to reach up to 12 inches of snow.
Snow forecast for Tuesday.
Ice and sleet formation is also a concern for parts of North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and West Virginia. The highest totals are likely to fall north of Charlotte and Raleigh, where up to an inch to 2 inches of ice is possible.
The warm sector of this storm is causing numerous embedded showers and thunderstorms in the central and southeastern United States today. At the start of the work week, expect a rainy Sunday in Atlanta before the rains leave the region.
Areas further west, such as St. Louis and Springfield, Illinois, will see more rain / snow on Sunday evening. Exactly how much snow will fall remains uncertain.
A week after parts of Iowa were hit by snow, Hawkeye State could see an inch more on Sunday evening.
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A developing northeasterly storm
With any northeasterly storm, there is uncertainty in the predicted snow totals, as much depends on the exact path of the low pressure.
“There appears to be a consensus between the forecast models that moderate to heavy snow will occur from parts of Virginia to Pennsylvania and New Jersey, but some uncertainty remains about the exact trajectory of the low pressure from Monday to Friday. Tuesday, ”said Ward.
“This will have a significant impact on the amount of snow falling from New York City to New England. A storm system running parallel to the coast would increase snowfall, while a track further east to sea would limit snow totals in New England.
That could make the difference in places like Boston and New York City between seeing 10 inches of snow or 12 inches.
The NWS Philadelphia office forecasts more than six inches of snow with gusts of up to 45 mph “that will create significant winds and drifting snow.”
Discussing the forecast, the agency also noted that the storm is expected to be an abnormally long event, with 36 hours or more of snow and winter precipitation, and that higher snow totals and speeds are not likely to occur until Monday. night.
CNN’s Laura Ly, Jennifer Gray and Ganesh Setty contributed to this report.