Whether you call it abomb cyclone,nor'easteror a blizzard, it's going to be a memorable weekend weather event for some along the East Coast as January turns to February.
"This storm could unleash heavy snow and howling winds across the Southeast this weekend," said Scott Homan, AccuWeather senior meteorologist, in a Jan. 29 email to USA TODAY.
A few snow flurries are even possible in Florida as bitterly cold air sweeps south all the way through the Sunshine State.
"People need to prepare for the possibility of dangerous blizzard conditions in some coastal areas from North Carolina to the southern Jersey shore," Homan said. "Blizzard conditions may reach parts of Long Island and southern New England."
This will lead to "sharply reduced visibilities due to the snow and blowing snow that will make travel extremely treacherous," theNational Weather Service said in an online forecast.
Eileen William of Tarrytown, NY gets the brunt of the snow being blown by her son William, as they clear the snow from their driveway at the height of the winter storm Jan. 25, 2026. The storm was predicted to drop up to a foot of snow on the lower Hudson Valley. A huge winter storm dumped heavy amounts of snow and ice across wide swaths of the U.S. See photos that capture the scale from around the country." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
How deep is the snow from the winter storm? Photos tell the story
Eileen William of Tarrytown, NY gets the brunt of the snow being blown by her son William, as they clear the snow from their driveway at the height of the winter storm Jan. 25, 2026. The storm was predicted to drop up to a foot of snow on the lower Hudson Valley. Ahuge winter stormdumped heavy amounts of snow and ice across wide swaths of the U.S. See photos that capture the scale from around the country.
Snow forecast for Carolinas, Virginia
Forecast guidance has come into better agreement that this will be a major snowstorm for North Carolina and the Virginia Tidewater region, where over 6 inches of snowfall is increasingly likely, according toWeather.com.
"For cities such as Charlotte, Raleigh and Greensboro, North Carolina, this could be the biggest snowstorm in decades," said AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Sosnowski in anonline forecast."In Norfolk, Virginia, it could top last February's whopping 11.1 inches."
The official forecast from theNational Weather Serviceshows 8.4 inches in Raleigh, 7 inches in Greensboro and 6 inches in Charlotte.
Snow is also likely in portions of eastern Georgia, eastern Tennessee and southern West Virginia, the weather service said.
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The weather servicewarned that the strong winds and weight of snow on tree limbs may down power lines and could cause sporadic power outages. "Travel may become dangerous or even impossible with widespread closures and disruptions to infrastructure possible."
Snow forecast for Florida
Any snow that falls in the Florida Peninsula should be of the conversational variety – with the far bigger story being the frigid temperatures across the state.The weather service in Tampasaid light mixed snow/rain showers or snow showers/flurries are possible in the region Saturday Jan. 31.
More:Winter storm may intensify and hit East Coast as bomb cyclone
Snow forecast for Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland
Coastal areas of Delaware, New Jersey and Maryland could see some snow, but the more significant event will be the strong winds. For example, Ocean City, Maryland, should pick up 2 inches of snow while Dover, Delaware, and Atlantic City, New Jersey, see 1 inch of snow,according to the weather service.
There is increasing potential for strong north to northeast winds, and potential for significant coastal flooding on Sunday Feb. 1.
The weather service said, "this rapidly deepening storm system will produce powerful onshore winds along the Mid-Atlantic coast from the North Carolina Outer Banks northward. Wind gusts near hurricane-force will coincide with astronomical high tides to produce moderate to locally significant coastal flooding."
Snow forecast for New England
The bulk of the snow in New England should fall in southeastern Massachusetts, including Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.
AccuWeather meteorologistsbelieve the most likely zone in the Northeast for 6-12 inches of snow will be in southeastern Massachusetts.
One lingering question is regarding Boston's snowfall, according toWeather.com. "It's still not clear whether the offshore low — or combination of lows — will pinwheel far enough offshore to keep any heavy snow potential pinned to Cape Cod, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, or may pivot heavy snowbands farther northwest into Boston," wrote Weather.com meteorologists Rob Shackelford and Jonathan Erdman in a Jan. 29online forecast.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Bomb cyclone forecast; snow possible from Florida to New England
