Updated March 31, 2021 at 10:45 a.m. ET.
April will start on a snowy note for truckers across parts of the northeastern U.S. and southeastern Canada.
A strengthening late-season storm system will change rainfall to snowfall Wednesday night, lasting through Thursday. Look for possible temporary disruptions to supply chains and freight flows due to accumulating snowfall and gusty winds.
The western extent of the snow will be across eastern Ohio and parts of West Virginia. The zone will then continue northward through central Pennsylvania, upstate New York and Vermont, as well as much of southeastern Canada.
U.S. freight markets in this region have low outbound volumes with loose capacity, according to the latest FreightWaves SONAR data. The storm will mainly affect drivers on local and regional dedicated routes, as well as long-haul drivers moving between the East Coast and the Midwest.
The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for places in New York, such as Oswego, Watertown, Saranac Lake and Eagle Bay, where 5 to 10 inches of snowfall could pile up. A winter weather advisory is in effect for Plattsburgh, Lake Placid, Binghamton, Syracuse, Ithaca, Utica, Rochester and Potsdam, New York; Burlington and Stowe, Vermont; as well as north-central Pennsylvania. These areas could see anywhere from 2 to 7 inches of snowfall.
Winds will be gusty at times, ranging from 30 to 40 mph, producing periods of reduced visibility. Overall, this will be a minor event. However, the small fraction of the zone that picks up more than 8 inches of snowfall may see increased delays in surface and air transportation, as well as at intermodal hubs.
Cities likely to see the most impacts include Syracuse, Plattsburgh and Watertown, New York; Burlington, Vermont; as well as Quebec and Montreal, Canada. Major highways in the zone include interstates 80, 81, 87 and 90, in addition to the Trans-Canada Highway.
Look for weather updates throughout the week on the FreightWaves website and social media accounts.
Click here for more FreightWaves articles by Nick Austin.
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