Winter Storm Harper

Winter Storm Harper Predicted to Bring Heavy Snow to the Northeast This Weekend 

ANDREA ROMANO 

It looks like winter has finally hit the Northeast.

Winter Storm Harper is predicted to pile on snow and ice from Friday well into the weekend to areas that have, up until now, only experienced some mild winter weather, according to Weather.com.


Winter Storm Harper’s trajectory is still uncertain at this point, however, predictions have the storm moving through the central states and into the Northeast, bringing heavy snow to the Plains, New England, Pennsylvania and New York State in particular.

There will also be a small, weak weather system on Wednesday that will bring some rain and light snow to the Midwest and Northwest, according to Weather.com. But after this system clears, Winter Storm Harper will bring much more extreme conditions.

Here’s what to expect, according to Weather.com:

On Thursday, Harper will bring snow into the Rockies, Sierras and Cascades, then spread into the Northern Plains by nighttime. On Friday, the Rockies will continue to have snow, but so will the Plains — possibly even escalating to blizzard conditions.

By Friday night, the lower Great Lakes, Kansas, parts of Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle may see some snow, or possibly a snow/rain mix, Weather.com reported. Sleet and freezing rain should be expected for northern Missouri and southern Illinois.

On Saturday, the Northeast gets its fair share of the storm. Heavy snow will be falling in some areas of the Plains still, plus the Midwest and Northeast. People in the Midwest should hunker down for possible blizzard conditions, as strong winds may also be present, said Weather.com.

By late Saturday, snow will be arriving in New England, while sleet and freezing rain is expected in parts of the Ohio Valley, the mid-Atlantic, the lower Hudson Valley and southern New England.

On Sunday, New York State will be bearing most of the snowy conditions. Prepare for heavy snow in parts of northern Pennsylvania and New York state to western and northern New England. Strong winds may also create dangerous snow drifts. Coastal New England may also get some sleet and freezing rain, according to Weather.com

There may be a wintry mix of freezing rain or ice along the Interstate 95 corridor on Saturday, but may turn back into snow by Sunday.

Weather.com stresses that the storm is still a few days away, so the forecast is subject to change. Meteorologists predict that heavy snow from the eastern Great Lakes to northern New England is most likely, as well as sleet and freezing rain in the Ohio Valley and Appalachians.