Northeast blasted by snow, beneficial rain as major airport hubs face Thanksgiving travel delays
Winter Storm Warnings remain in effect for areas of West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York, while portions of Tennessee, North Carolina and Kentucky are also under a winter weather alerts.
Snow piles up in Pennsylvania as winter storm swirls across Northeast
FOX Weather Storm Specialist Mike Seidel shows you the snowy scenes unfolding in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, as a winter storm blankets parts of the Northeast with the first snow of the season.
NEW YORK – As Thanksgiving travelers hit the road, a potent early-season snowstorm over the Northeast could potentially cause travel delays and disruptions.
Low pressure will spin over the region into Saturday, resulting in significant rain and snow for millions of people.
Interstate 84 near Dunmore, Pennsylvania, is currently experiencing severe traffic delays due to heavy snowfall Friday. The affected area is approximately 2 miles northeast of Scranton. FOX Weather Storm Tracker Brandon Copic is on the scene reporting nearly a foot of snow accumulation in the northeast and northwest regions of Dunmore. (Brandon Copic / FOX Weather)
More than a foot of snow has fallen in parts of Upstate New York and northeastern Pennsylvania, according to the FOX Forecast Center. High Point, New Jersey reported 20 inches of snow, while 19 inches fell in Cortez, Pennsylvania and 17.1 inches were on the ground in Franklin, New York.
This all comes courtesy of a potent upper-level low and its various spokes of energy rotating around it over the Northeast, creating a complex storm evolution featuring multiple areas of rain and snow.
Watch: First blizzard of winter season rages around Snowshoe Resort in West Virginia's Appalachian Mountains
The first blizzard of the winter season is raging in West Virginia's Appalachian Mountains, especially around Snowshoe Resort. Whiteout conditions and strong winds are making travel extremely dangerous. A Blizzard Warning remains in effect until 10 a.m. Saturday, with up to 2 feet of snow and 45 mph gusts forecast.
Traffic along Interstate 84 near Scranton, Pennsylvania ground to a halt Friday morning as heavy snow covered the roads and dimmed visibility.
Winter weather had put a halt to air travel at Greater Binghamton Airport in Johnson City, New York. Delays and cancellations have been reported at other major airport hubs in New York, Boston and Washington.
THANKSGIVING TRAVEL WEATHER TRACKER: LIVE MAPS, AIRPORT STATUS, FLIGHT DELAYS AND MORE
While lower elevations transition back to rain, the heavy and wet snow will continue to fall throughout Friday from West Virginia to parts of New England. The snow will not be as heavy as it was overnight, but it will still be enough to cause dangerous travel conditions and impacts to infrastructure, including scattered power outages, the FOX Forecast Center warned.
Snow comes down in central Pennsylvania amid Winter Storm Warning
Steady snowfall swept across parts of central Pennsylvania on Friday amid a winter storm warning in the region. This footage was taken by meteorology student Matthew Howard in State College. Multiple Winter Storm Warnings were issued in the region until Saturday morning.
In the lower elevations of the mid-Atlantic, some snow bands could pivot as far southeast as the Interstate 95 corridor. So, while accumulations in the major urban areas from Washington to New York City are expected to be minimal, if any, these cities could see their first "falling" snow of the season by Friday afternoon.
Fort Blackmore, Virginia received 5-8 inches of snow overnight and more is on the way. (@DrcrawfishWx)
Winter Storm Warnings remain in effect for areas of West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York, while portions of Tennessee, North Carolina and Kentucky are also under winter weather alerts.
Along the Adirondacks, Green and White Mountains of New England, the upper-level low will draw moist easterly winds into these ranges from Friday night through Saturday, while another surface low develops east of Maine and pivots northwest, the FOX Forecast Center said.
Snow levels should be high enough that only the highest terrain will receive significant snow. Cities such as Boston and Portland, Maine, will remain all rain.
On the southern end of the system, snow will wind down across the southern Appalachians on Friday, the FOX Forecast Center said.
Forecast rain totals in the Northeast and New England should remain in the 1-2 inch range, although locally higher amounts of 2-3 inches or more are possible in some areas.
The precipitation is expected to help ease some of the record-breaking drought conditions and reduce the wildfire threat that has been plaguing the region. Over 7 inches of snow has been reported in the area around the deadly Jennings Creek Fire that is smoldering along the New Jersey-New York border, the FOX Forecast Center said.
Behind this storm system, the coldest air of the season will pour south out of Canada in the days after Thanksgiving and into the start of December. Much of the country will experience below-average temperatures as travelers head home, the FOX Forecast Center said.
Across the northern Plains, lows may fall below -10 degrees in some of these areas, with even lower wind chills.