Weekend bomb cyclone forecast calls for snow. How much will fall?

Weekend bomb cyclone forecast calls for snow. How much will fall?

Doyle Rice, USA TODAY

Thu, January 29, 2026 at 5:14 PM UTC

3 min read

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.

Whether you call it a bomb cyclone, nor'easter or a blizzard, it's going to be a memorable weekend weather event for some along the East Coast as January turns to February.

“This storm could unleash heavy snow and howling winds across the Southeast this weekend," said Scott Homan, AccuWeather senior meteorologist, in a Jan. 29 email to USA TODAY.

A few snow flurries are even possible in Florida as bitterly cold air sweeps south all the way through the Sunshine State.

"People need to prepare for the possibility of dangerous blizzard conditions in some coastal areas from North Carolina to the southern Jersey shore," Homan said. "Blizzard conditions may reach parts of Long Island and southern New England."

This will lead to "sharply reduced visibilities due to the snow and blowing snow that will make travel extremely treacherous," the National Weather Service said in an online forecast.

Eileen William of Tarrytown, NY gets the brunt of the snow being blown by her son William, as they clear the snow from their driveway at the height of the winter storm Jan. 25, 2026. The storm was predicted to drop up to a foot of snow on the lower Hudson Valley. A huge winter storm dumped heavy amounts of snow and ice across wide swaths of the U.S. See photos that capture the scale from around the country.

Tom Ellish clears the snow in from of his property on Main Street in Hudson, Ohio on Jan. 25, 2026.

Snow piles up on a roof on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026 in Warminster, Pennsylvania. Snow is expected to continue through Monday January 26, 2026 at 3 AM leaving 10-12 inches of snow.

A man uses a snowblower as snow continues to fall on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026 in Warminster, Pennsylvania. Snow is expected to continue through Monday Jan. 26, 2026 at 3 AM leaving 10-12 inches of snow.

Snow accumulates on a veterans statue outside the Ohio Statehouse as Winter Storm Fern continues to dump snow on the Columbus area on Jan. 25, 2026.

A pedestrian clears snow from a driveway on West 8th Street during a winter storm in West Price Hill on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning until Monday at 6 p.m. for Hamilton County, Ohio.

Seven inches of snow, as of 12:00pm in Neptune, as winter storm Fern hits Monmouth County, NJ on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2025.

Tome Jolevski clears snow during a winter storm in Delhi on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning until Monday at 6 p.m. for Hamilton County, Ohio.

Kelce plays in snow following a winter storm in Oklahoma City, Sunday Jan. 25, 2026.

A man plods throw the snow on Van Wyck Road in Blauvelt, NY on Jan. 25, 2026.

A snowplow at work on a parking lot in Blauvelt, NY on Jan. 25, 2026.

A car drives past a snow bank on Convent Road in Blauvelt, NY on Jan. 25, 2026.

Homeowners checking the snow total as of 2 p.m. in Lincoln Park, New Jersey. Ruler is showing just about 10 inches so far, with snow still falling at a fast pace.

George Booth Oliphant III snowboards off a jump while riding down the hill at Mountainside Park, NJ on Jan 25, 2026.

Jah Ramsey sits in a cooler while being toed behind a truck in Branch Brook Park, NJ on Jan. 25, 2026.

How deep is the snow from the winter storm? Photos tell the story

Eileen William of Tarrytown, NY gets the brunt of the snow being blown by her son William, as they clear the snow from their driveway at the height of the winter storm Jan. 25, 2026. The storm was predicted to drop up to a foot of snow on the lower Hudson Valley. A huge winter storm dumped heavy amounts of snow and ice across wide swaths of the U.S. See photos that capture the scale from around the country.

Snow forecast for Carolinas, Virginia

Forecast guidance has come into better agreement that this will be a major snowstorm for North Carolina and the Virginia Tidewater region, where over 6 inches of snowfall is increasingly likely, according to Weather.com.

"For cities such as Charlotte, Raleigh and Greensboro, North Carolina, this could be the biggest snowstorm in decades," said AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Sosnowski in an online forecast. "In Norfolk, Virginia, it could top last February's whopping 11.1 inches."

The official forecast from the National Weather Service shows 8.4 inches in Raleigh, 7 inches in Greensboro and 6 inches in Charlotte.

Snow is also likely in portions of eastern Georgia, eastern Tennessee and southern West Virginia, the weather service said.

The weather service warned that the strong winds and weight of snow on tree limbs may down power lines and could cause sporadic power outages. "Travel may become dangerous or even impossible with widespread closures and disruptions to infrastructure possible."

A map from the National Weather Service shows where snowfall impacts are most likely this coming weekend.

Snow forecast for Florida

Any snow that falls in the Florida Peninsula should be of the conversational variety – with the far bigger story being the frigid temperatures across the state. The weather service in Tampa said light mixed snow/rain showers or snow showers/flurries are possible in the region Saturday Jan. 31.

More: Winter storm may intensify and hit East Coast as bomb cyclone

Snow forecast for Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland

Coastal areas of Delaware, New Jersey and Maryland could see some snow, but the more significant event will be the strong winds. For example, Ocean City, Maryland, should pick up 2 inches of snow while Dover, Delaware, and Atlantic City, New Jersey, see 1 inch of snow, according to the weather service.

There is increasing potential for strong north to northeast winds, and potential for significant coastal flooding on Sunday Feb. 1.

The weather service said, "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 to produce moderate to locally significant coastal flooding."

Snow forecast for New England

The bulk of the snow in New England should fall in southeastern Massachusetts, including Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.

AccuWeather meteorologists believe the most likely zone in the Northeast for 6-12 inches of snow will be in southeastern Massachusetts.

One lingering question is regarding Boston's snowfall, according to Weather.com. "It's still not clear whether the offshore low — or combination of lows — will pinwheel far enough offshore to keep any heavy snow potential pinned to Cape Cod, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, or may pivot heavy snowbands farther northwest into Boston," wrote Weather.com meteorologists Rob Shackelford and Jonathan Erdman in a Jan. 29 online forecast.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bomb cyclone forecast; snow possible from Florida to New England

About Our Ads

Source