Overview
- National Weather Service warns a rapidly deepening system will drive powerful onshore winds from the North Carolina Outer Banks northward, with gusts near hurricane force coinciding with Sunday morning high tides to produce moderate to locally significant coastal flooding.
- Heavy snow and near-blizzard conditions are expected Saturday across the Carolinas and southern Virginia, with Winter Storm Watches posted from South Carolina to Virginia and conservative estimates of 8–12 inches in parts of North Carolina.
- Southeastern Massachusetts, especially Cape Cod and the Islands, has the highest confidence for significant impacts on Sunday, including 60+ mph wind gusts, snow and hazardous marine conditions, with coastal flooding possible at high tide.
- Major cities along I‑95 from Washington, D.C., to Boston remain a forecast wildcard, as a 50–100 mile track shift could mean anything from light snow and gusty winds to more substantial accumulations.
- Air travel disruptions are likely as carriers recover from nearly 20,000 cancellations last weekend; United has issued a waiver for 14 Southeast airports, and some forecasts project an intense pressure drop to near 967 mb that would tighten the wind field.