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A severe winter storm could dump up to 18 inches of snow across the eastern US Monday as some half a million homes are already without power in the southeast — but New York will largely be spared, forecasters said Monday.
The heaviest snowfall — likely between 6 and 10 inches — is expected in parts of northern Virginia and Maryland, as well as in Delaware and southern New Jersey, Accuweather meteorologist Nicole LoBiondo told The Post.
Snow started blanketing those areas early Monday, falling at a rate of about an “inch or two” an hour across Baltimore and into Atlantic City, New Jersey, where totals could reach 10 inches by late afternoon, LoBiondo said.
“The total maximum would be 18 inches,” she told The Post.
New Jersey towns like Cape May and Atlantic City will likely get 6 to 10 inches, with lesser amounts, about 3 to 6 inches, expected in Toms River and Long Branch.
Wind gusts along southern New Jersey may reach up to 50 mph, which could lead to widespread power outages from downed lines, LoBiondo said.
Up to 10 inches of snow is also expected to blanket Washington, DC, where schools and government offices were closed Monday.
Meanwhile, little to no accumulation is expected farther north in New York City and Connecticut. However, parts of Long Island, including Montauk, down to Philadelphia may get between 1 and 3 inches, LoBiondo said.
A travel advisory issued early Monday by NYC Emergency Management officials urged people to allow extra time to reach their destinations and to take public transportation if possible.
“If you must drive, drive slowly,” the post reads.
Travelers south of Philadelphia and Baltimore trying to get home from holiday trips may be impacted by the storm and should be “very cautious” of the worsening conditions. Many schools in the impacted areas had already closed, LoBiondo said.
The storm had already knocked out power to more than 500,000 customers early Monday as winter storm warnings extended from Alabama and Tennessee through Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina and West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland.
Up to 6 inches of snow had fallen in northern Alabama by Monday morning and numerous crashes were reported in Virginia and Maryland amid treacherous travel conditions.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, meanwhile, declared a state of emergency in five counties Sunday ahead of the storm. He urged residents in Atlantic, Burlington, Cape May, Cumberland and Ocean counties to stay off roads and delayed state office opening until 10 a.m. Monday for non-essential personnel.
In New York, Mayor Eric Adams said crews were ready Sunday to handle whatever came the city’s way — with sanitation crews spreading salt on roadways ahead of the anticipated snowfall.
“We are going to see ourselves through the storm, no matter what those storms are,” Adams told reporters.
With Post wires
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