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A gust of wind whips up snow as a group of ice fishermen from Ashby, Mass., work to push their bob-house across frozen Lake Winnipesaukee in Meredith, N.H. on Feb. 5.(Photo: Jim Cole, AP)
A ferocious blizzard — as powerful as a Category 2 hurricane — is forecast to hammer parts of the Northeast and New England with heavy snow, howling winds and pounding waves late Saturday into Sunday.
The storm's predicted barometric pressure, a measure of the storm's intensity, "is typically observed with a Category 2 hurricane," the National Weather Service in Boston said.
The heaviest snow will stretch from northeastern Massachusetts to coastal Maine with more than a foot expected, AccuWeather predicts. Wind gusts could approach 70 mph in some spots — strong enough to cause structural damage and widespread power outages, the weather service said.
Snow from the storm will add to what has already been a historic winter in Boston. The city has endured its snowiest February ever – 42.2 inches of snow so far this month, the weather service reported Friday.
"The storm could bring life-threatening conditions, especially in New England, with very low temperatures and strong winds combining with snow to bring blizzard conditions," AccuWeather meteorologist Henry Margusity said.
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Blizzard warnings and watches have been posted for the entire east coast of New England from Cape Cod to Maine.
"Blizzard conditions could make traveling difficult if not impossible," the weather service warned. "Blowing and drifting snow combined with strong winds may create problems for uncleared roofs."
Thundersnow — heavy snow accompanied by lightning and thunder — is also possible, according to the weather service. Coastal flooding could affect parts of eastern Massachusetts because of the pounding surf. The Weather Channel has dubbed the system Winter Storm Neptune.
More than a foot of snow is likely in parts of eastern New England this weekend.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: AccuWeather)
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Recent storms have thrown the Boston-area transit system into disarray, and no decision on weekend service has been made yet. With area schools on break next week, some families have been leaving Logan Airport early to beat the storm.
Though New England will see the worst of the storm by far, light to locally moderate amounts of snow are also expected farther west, including Long Island, the New York City area, the Hudson Valley, central and western New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, the Appalachians and Great Lakes, according to the Weather Channel
Any silver lining to all of this? Boston Red Sox pitchers and catchers will be reporting to spring training in Florida next Friday, in a sure sign that warmer weather will be back — eventually.
Contributing: The Associated Press
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