Winter Storm Jonas is the first snowstorm to hit the East Coast in 2016, so make sure that you’re up to date with a forecast that will keep you prepared. Trusted weather sources are saying that affected areas can expect at least 10 inches of snow over the weekend, which we can all agree is a serious dumping.
Washington DC has already started bearing the brunt of this storm, and as of Friday it’s starting to hit Philadelphia and soon New York City. As always, the weather pattern is constantly changing and updating, so make sure you stay ahead of the game by keep checking our site for travel and safety information.
Update 1/22/2016, 12:25 PM: 2,713 flights scheduled at US airports Friday cancelled as of 12 pm ET; 2,928 cancelled Saturday – FlightAware
Update 1/22/2016: Winter Storm Jonas has already affected 20 states and over 3,100 flights have been grounded. Both NYC and Philadelphia have been issued a blizzard warning.
Widespread power outages are expected because of heavy ice on power lines (see below).
Update 1/21/2016: Heavy snow is confirmed for parts of at least 15 states in addition to heavy winds, significant icing, and coastal flooding. Mid-Atlantic states will be getting hit the hardest.
To put it more concretely, over 76 million people (1/4 of every American) were covered by either a blizzard warning, blizzard watch, winter storm watch, winter storm warning, winter weather advisory, or freezing rain advisory from Kansas to the Carolinas to the New York City area.
Do you believe us now? Good. Let’s get down to what you need to know:
Winter Storm Jonas Expectations:
As of now, it is believed that cities like Washington D.C., Philadelphia, and Baltimore will be getting the worst of the storm. The National Weather Service has even gone so far as to issue a blizzard watch for Washington D.C. and Baltimore. Expect a foot of snow in those areas.
The storm will then continue north through New York City and Boston, where it’s expected that Winter Storm Jonas will dump an estimated six inches on the north east.
High Winds: The highest amount of winds will be in the Delmarva Peninsula, Chesapeake Bay, New Jersey and Long Island Saturday. Gusts up to 60 mph, in addition to the weight of wet, heavy snow in these areas will likely lead to power outages, downed trees and limbs, and perhaps some structural damage. Prepare accordingly.
Flight Delays/Cancellations: It’s a safe bet that your flights out of the affected areas will be cancelled, so start planning accordingly. It is not suggested you drive in these conditions. In fact, we 100% recommend not doing that.
Here is a list of the affected airports.
- Hartford, CT (BDL)
- New Haven, CT (HVN)
- Lexington, KY (LEX)
- Allentown, PA (ABE)
- Harrisburg, PA (MDT)
- Scranton / Wilkes Barre, PA (AVP)
- State College University Park, PA (SCE)
- Philadelphia, PA (PHL)
- Pittsburgh, PA (PIT)
- Williamsport, PA (IPT)
- Baltimore, MD (BWI)
- Salisbury, MD (SBY)
- Boston, MA (BOS)
- Asheville / Hendersonville, NC (AVL)
- Greensboro / Highpoint, NC (GSO)
- Raleigh / Durham, NC (RDU)
- Albany, NY (ALB)
- Binghamton, NY (BGM)
- Elmira / Corning, NY (ELM)
- Islip / Long Island / Macarthur, NY (ISP)
- Ithaca, NY (ITH)
- New York LaGuardia (LGA)
- New York Kennedy (JFK)
- Newark, NJ (EWR)
- Stewart / Newburgh, NY (SWF)
- Westchester County / White Plains, NY (HPN)
- Providence, RI (PVD)
- Knoxville, TN (TYS)
- Tri City, TN (TRI)
- Manchester, NH (MHT)
- Charlottesville, VA (CHO)
- Lynchburg, VA (LYH)
- Newport News, VA (PHF)
- Norfolk, VA (ORF)
- Richmond, VA (RIC)
- Roanoke, VA (ROA)
- Washington Dulles, VA (IAD)
- Washington Reagan National, DC (DCA)
- Charleston, WV (CRO)
- Huntington, WV (HTS)
To help you fully contemplate the severity of Winter Storm Jonas, here’s the most enthusiastic weather reporter, Frankie, with a few words of advice and encouragement for the people of Virginia:
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKIAMQs6EHU&w=656]
Winter Storm Jonas Snow Forecast:
This forecast isn’t concrete, but these are the amounts of snow (in inches) that experts anticipate will fall over the weekend winter storm.
Virginia: 20-inches of snow
Maryland: 20-inches of snow
Northwest North Carolina: 20-inches of snow
Washington DC: 12-inches of snow
Philadelphia: 12-inches of snow
Baltimore: 12-inches of snow
New York City: 6-inches of snow
Boston: 6-inches of snow
In addition to the snow, you can expect to see a wintery, awful cold mix. Additionally, the further west you are, the more ice you can expect.
Coastal Flooding:
Unfortunately it seems as though there will be significant coastal flooding, no thanks to the full moon on January 23rd. Tides will be running high, which should make the flooding worse.
https://twitter.com/MichaelRLowry/status/689584008171106304
Areas that need to be prepared for coastal flooding include:
- Delaware, including both Delaware Bay and the Atlantic beaches
- The western side of Chesapeake Bay, including tidewater inlets and the Norfolk/Newport News metropolitan area
Winter Storm Jonas Timeline:
As you can see, Winter Storm Jonas started in the south and will move north throughout the weekend.
