Millions of people in parts of New York, Pennsylvania and New England were under a winter storm watch early Monday, as forecasters warned that a potential nor’easter could leave up to a foot of snow by Tuesday.
Winter storm watches, indicating potentially hazardous weather within 48 hours, were scheduled to expand on Monday and Tuesday to parts of Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York and Vermont. At least six inches of snow accumulation were expected in much of the region.
A separate advisory for snow and sleet was set to begin on Monday morning in Arkansas, and to gradually expand northeast through parts of the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic through Tuesday.
The National Weather Service said the chance of snow would be highest in parts of the Appalachian Mountains, interior New England and the northern Mid-Atlantic. Some of the highest snowfall totals — up to a foot — were expected in and around the Catskill Mountains in upstate New York.
Rain and light snow had already begun to fall in parts of New England and New York as of early Monday morning, according to the Weather Service.
Forecasters expect the storm to develop over the Gulf Coast states by Monday afternoon before tracking up the Eastern Seaboard on Monday night into Tuesday.
William Churchill, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service Prediction Center, said by phone early Monday that most of the heaviest snowfall was expected to end by Tuesday night.
The term Nor’easter refers to a weather system in which winds off the East Coast collide with surface winds from the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic States.
Nor’easters are particularly strong because cool winter air from the Arctic travels south and passes above the warm waters of the Gulf Coast, Mr. Churchill said. The combination of warm and cool air creates a low-pressure system with clouds and stormy conditions.
The Weather Service predicted that the storm would have moderate impacts, including hazardous driving conditions and infrastructure closures.
A major winter storm that hit the Midwest over Thanksgiving holiday weekend, disrupting travel across the United States, was dying down early Monday.
But in Chicago, forecasters said that freezing fog — tiny, supercooled water droplets that can freeze instantly on exposed surfaces — was developing over the city’s roads, making them icy and dangerous for drivers.
Jin Yu Young is a reporter and researcher for The Times, based in Seoul, covering South Korea and international breaking news.
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