Alberta Clipper brings snow to over a dozen states from the Dakotas to the Northeast

ERIE, Pa. — A winter weather event known as the Alberta Clipper will move from Canada later this week and roll across the Northern Plains, potentially bringing snow to more than a dozen states from the Dakotas to New England.

This week’s snowmaker is caused by a weather system called the Alberta Clipper, a fast-moving low pressure system originating in Alberta, Canada. The weather event is expected to begin Wednesday as the clipper system reaches North Dakota before racing across the Great Lakes and into the Northeast on Thursday.

According to the FOX Forecast Center, the Alberta Clipper will bring a broad layer of snow, with several inches possible in areas already inundated with lake-effect snow, such as Buffalo and Syracuse in New York and Cleveland in Ohio.

Snow forecast for Alberta Clipper through Thursday.
(FOX Weather)

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“The lake effect snow you’re seeing here is what we call mesoscale meteorology, something that happens on a small scale, about the size of a thunderstorm or a band of lake effect snow,” said FOX weather meteorologist Ari Sarsalari. “What we’re experiencing a little later this week is actually a major storm system over a fairly large area.

The crippling snowstorm in the Great Lakes produces rare thunder, snow and water spouts

Erie, Pennsylvania, is expected to see persistent lake snow through Tuesday before the clipper system potentially brings a few more inches of snow on Wednesday and Thursday.

Snow is also possible as far east as the Interstate 95 corridor in the northeast, but it is too early to predict how much.

Strong winds associated with the low pressure area make temperatures feel even colder due to wind chill. Wind gusts of up to 30 mph are possible in Minneapolis, Green Bay, Chicago, Cleveland and Buffalo on Wednesday and Thursday.

Wind gust forecast for the Great Lakes.
(FOX Weather)

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Will it snow in New York City?

Forecast details will become clearer as Wednesday’s event approaches, but the system is expected to drop snow from the Dakotas into New England. How far south the snow extends depends on the temperatures in the northeast.

As usual, New York City is right on the edge of the forecast where there could be rain or snow.

According to the FOX Forecast Center, rain is expected early Thursday, with a slight chance of snow as the system leaves the United States

FILE: A man walks his dog in a snow-covered park in front of the Midtown Manhattan skyline and the Empire State Building in New York City on February 17, 2024 in Hoboken, New Jersey.

(Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)

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FOX weather meteorologist Jane Minar said snowfall isn’t likely in New York City because temperatures aren’t cold enough. High temperatures on Wednesday and Thursday will be in the lower 40s.

“We know that the clippers lack moisture from the start. Cold air is much denser.

While some flakes may fall off, they are unlikely to accumulate.