A late season snowstorm is on track to slam parts of the Northeast this weekend, perhaps the last gasp of winter-like weather in the region this year.
The low pressure system and associated cold front that will produce the snowfall are in the Great Plains this morning, producing areas of snow and rain from Montana to Oklahoma, with severe thunderstorms possible later today in Texas and Oklahoma. Late tonight and Friday, May 8, the system will head through the Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee valleys mainly as a rainmaker. Severe thunderstorms could pop up from Texas into Louisiana and Mississippi.
Rain will then spread across the Northeast from late Friday afternoon through Saturday, changing to snow across interior portions of the region as colder air enters the upper levels of the storm.
Some forecast models are showing snowfall totals of 6 inches or more for the high elevations of central and northeastern Pennsylvania, as well as upstate portions of Vermont and New Hampshire, with a few inches in sections of upstate New York. Snow squalls are possible Saturday, producing gusty winds and brief near-whiteout conditions across central New York state and northeastern Pennsylvania.
Areas closer to the coast, including major Northeast cities like Philadelphia, New York City, Boston, Hartford and Providence, will probably see 2 inches or less of wet snow, or just a snow-rain mix.
Some parts of key Northeast freight markets like Allentown and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in addition to Elizabeth, New Jersey, may see accumulating snowfall. These markets are also important nationally, and, according to the latest FreightWaves SONAR data, rank among the top 10 markets in the country in terms of outbound volume.
The tree map above shows the outbound tender market share (OTMS) for all 135 markets. Allentown, Harrisburg and Elizabeth are all in the upper left-hand portion of the map, which contains the highest values of any given index. Combined, these three markets account for almost 8.5% of the nation’s outbound volume. Fortunately, delays in freight movement should be short-lived since the storm will fade Saturday night.
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Have a great day! Please stay healthy and be careful out there!