Winter Storm Grayson Is About to Bring Freezing Cold and Snow to the East Coast (Video)

Winter Storm Grayson is barreling towards the northeastern United States this week, with its effects to be felt as far south as northern Florida, meteorologists say.

As of Wednesday morning, forecasters are expecting the storm system to hit New England the hardest, with as much as 24 inches of snow possible in Maine and New Hampshire, according to AccuWeather. Blizzard conditions are also expected in several other states, including New York’s Long Island.

But the East Coast is not the only region in danger of receiving snow and wintry conditions — much of the coastal South is within the path of Grayson as well, forecasters say.

And while Winter Storm Grayson will affect different regions in varying ways, one thing should remain consistent throughout: the freezing temperatures.

Rob Miller, a senior meteorologist at AccuWeather, said another storm system developing across the Midwest and Ohio will bring “slightly milder air, but the places affected by [Winter Storm Grayson] should remain sub-freezing throughout the weekend and parts of next week.”

“Any warmup will be brief,” he added.

Here’s a breakdown of how Winter Storm Grayson is expected to impact various regions throughout the country:

New England

New England is expected to receive the brunt of Grayson’s might, thanks to a weather phenomenon known as “bombogenesis.”

Bombogenesis, or a weather bomb, is a storm that undergoes rapid strengthening, which in this case could result in 1 to 2 feet of snow throughout Thursday in parts of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and the eastern edge of Long Island, according to AccuWeather.

In these areas, blizzard-like conditions could develop with winds ranging from 35 to 70 miles per hour, whiteout conditions and a “few claps of lightning,” Miller said. Power outages are likely and travel will be difficult or impossible in some area, he said.

Major cities that could experience these conditions include Boston, Portland, Maine, and Providence, Rhode Island, though they could receive slightly less snowfall than the northernmost part of New England and parts of Canada.

Mid-Atlantic

While Long Island is the only part of the Mid-Atlantic states predicted to experience blizzard-like conditions, the coastal sections of the region will likely all get snow and windy conditions.

As of Wednesday morning, New York City is projected to get around 3 to 6 inches of snow, along with parts of New Jersey and coastal Delaware. Philadelphia could receive up to 3 inches.

The Baltimore and Washington, D.C. areas should be spared from significant snow, Miller said, but parts of Maryland and Virginia bordering the Atlantic Ocean could get some fresh powder. Virginia Beach also falls in Winter Storm Grayson's path.

Inland areas of the larger states should be free of concern outside of debilitating cold. Not much snow is expected to fall west of Philadelphia or New York City, Miller said.

The South

While it is typically the warmer section of the country, the South will not be immune to snowfall during Winter Storm Grayson.

“The cold air is pressed pretty far south and allowing the wintry mix into Florida and southern Georgia,” Miller said.

He added that Georgia and the Eastern portion of the Carolinas could see a “stripe of snow" that may dump up to 6 inches on the area.

Nearby cities include Savannah, Charleston and Myrtle Beach, may also get some snow, though estimates are currently closer to 1 to 3 inches for those areas, according to AccuWeather’s forecast.

But even Raleigh, a city near the center of North Carolina that Miller described as the “backend of the storm,” could get a coating of snow from Winter Storm Grayson.

The same goes for Florida, which should receive an “icy mix” in the northernmost part of the state as well as in Jacksonville and Tallahassee.