Congrats to my friend on the coast! Some people within the I-95 corridor in the Mid-Atlantic will celebrate Weatherman's Day (Feb 5) by ushering in a blizzard while the rest of us will see some of the best snow in years. In Western PA, those to the south of Pittsburgh will see 12-22" of snow and to the north up to I-80 will see 8-12". From I-80 into the Southern Tier of NY accumulations will vary but mostly fall between 4-8" with the higher amounts furthest south.
Many people have noticed that local meteorologists do not have number these high. I notice tonight that the numbers from local forecasters are creeping up closer to my numbers, but they will probably continue to low-ball their forecasts to avoid the unpleasantness that they would get by over-estimating the storm. I am fairly confident in my number as the track of the storm and the forecasted precipitation amounts for us have remained very consistent over the past few days. If anything were to change, I wouldn't be horribly surprised to see us close to 2'.
Winter Storm Warnings are already in effect and many modes of transportation, businesses, and other organizations are already cancelling weekend activities. I expect the snow to start to fall in the early afternoon in the Pittsburgh area.
FYI: Keep your eyes open for another round of snow to come our way mid-week. This time, I think the Ohio Valley is the target.
