A strong winter storm that coated highways in the Carolinas and Georgia with ice and knocked out power to nearly 200,000 customers headed early Monday into the Northeast, where it was expected to leave a foot of snow or more in some places. The most significant snowfall is expected overnight.

The storm will likely move west of Washington, D.C. around midnight, and then north into Pennsylvania, northern New York State and Vermont, and landing in the province of Quebec by Monday evening, said Jim Connolly, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

In the South, where some governors declared states of emergency, areas such as central Mississippi and central North Carolina had already received more than nine inches of snow, while portions of central South Carolina had up to a half-inch of ice, the National Weather Service said.

“This storm is going to be pretty significant in terms of generating travel impacts, outages and things of that nature,” said Rich Otto, a meteorologist with the Weather Service.

Officials in the Northeast urged people to stay off the roads on Sunday night, warning that the storm was expected to bring up to a foot of snow in some parts, including the Appalachians and upstate New York, and nearly two feet in northwestern Pennsylvania.

Meteorologists said that in parts of the Northeast, the snow could fall at a rate of three inches an hour on Sunday evening.

By Sunday evening, the Washington area had already recorded some snow, and more was on the way, with totals of up to 4 inches possible, according to the National Weather Service.

Parts of upstate New York, including Buffalo, were under a winter storm warning, with the potential for snowfall amounts of up to 20 inches and “significant blowing and drifting snow,” according to the Weather Service.

“Overnight is going to be very unpredictable,” said Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York. “And with the darkness and ice on the roads and high winds, this could be a very dangerous situation.”

Snow began falling in Buffalo on Sunday evening and “widespread” accumulation will continue through tomorrow afternoon and early evening, said Steven Welch, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. He said the heaviest snowfall is expected overnight, from about 1 a.m. to daybreak.

Most areas by the southern shore of Lake Ontario and west of Rochester will get at least a foot of snow, Mr. Welch said, adding that the Niagara Frontier and the Buffalo area could see more than 20 inches of snow.

The New York City area saw some light snow on Sunday evening, but with temperatures expected to rise above freezing, significant snowfall was not expected, said David Stark, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

“It is going to be solidly a rain event overall for the New York City area,” Mr. Stark said, adding that wind gusts of up to 50 miles per hour were of greater concern than snow or rain.

A “gradual transition” from snow to a wintry mix and then rain, is expected overnight, Mr. Connolly said, adding that the storm will …….

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/16/us/snowstorm-updates-news.html