Forecasters are eyeing another winter storm that could drop several more inches of snow in places that still haven't thawed out from last weekend's record-setter.
Threat level: "The storm will produce snow and rain over parts of the Middle/Lower Mississippi Valley by Thursday evening, then move across the southern Ohio and Tennessee Valleys on Friday morning," the National Weather Service said on Thursday morning.
- "By Friday evening into Saturday, the snow will move into the southern Mid-Atlantic and rain over the Southeast."
NWS continues: "This rapidly deepening storm system will produce powerful onshore winds along the Mid-Atlantic Coast from the North Carolina Outer Banks northward."
- "Wind gusts near hurricane-force will coincide with astronomical high tides, producing moderate to locally significant coastal flooding."
- NWS also warns of "near-blizzard conditions ... across northeastern North Carolina and Southeastern Virginia."
By the numbers: About 22.5 million Americans are under winter storm watch as of Thursday morning, mostly in the Carolinas and southern Virginia.
- As much as a foot of snow is possible along the North Carolina coast, with smaller amounts predicted inland.
Zoom in: NWS forecasters in North Carolina are currently predicting around 8 inches in Raleigh — but they warn the setup presents "an incredibly difficult forecast challenge."
- Richmond could get as little as an inch — or as much as eight, a range that underscores how tough this one is to call in some places.
What's next: Big cities farther north — Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York and Boston — may still get slammed as the system makes its way northward.
- But some of the latest model runs show the storm swinging out to sea a bit as it crawls up the Eastern Seaboard.
- NWS forecasters in New York: "It remains a bit too soon to determine impacts with any confidence at this point."
What we're watching: Folks across the Northeast — particularly in Boston, Eastern Massachusetts and on Long Island — should keep an eye on their local forecasts for Sunday into Monday.
- This is a tough storm to predict, with only a few dozen miles making the difference between maybe an inch and a foot for some of America's biggest cities.
The bottom line: Don't be surprised if the snow predictions swing a bit in either direction right up until the storm hits — or doesn't.
