Area braces for another prewinter wallop

The third major storm to hit the northern Seacoast in two weeks was earlier thought to be mostly a rain event, but new forecasts put Rochester, Milton and Lebanon sturdily on a line that predict anywhere from 1-3 to 3-6 inches of wet, heavy snow between later today and late Thursday.

The impact of the monster storm will be felt from Ohio and the Midwest along a wide swath reaching northeastward through the Downeast, with a foot of snow expected in northwest Maine and northern New Hampshire.

Meanwhile, in the south toward the coast, it will stay mostly rain.

The storm will be accompanied by 40-50 mph winds across our area tonight, according to AccuWeather.com meteorologists.

Flooding is expected along coastal areas that will receive the brunt of tropical-like rains and the strongest winds.

According to AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Elliot Abrams, "This will be a snowstorm for some areas well inland, while impacts similar to a tropical storm will occur along the coast, including much of Interstate-95."

The storm has already began to take shape this morning along the mid-Atlantic coast and will spread farther inland and northward later today through Wednesday.

It will be a battle between marginal temperatures, snowfall rate and warm air surging in from the Atlantic when it comes to determining which parts of the interior Northeast endure the heaviest snow.

Current indications point toward the heaviest snow targeting the Endless, Catskill, Adirondack, Green, White and Longfellow mountains, where between 6 to 12 inches are expected.

Additional snow Wednesday night through Thursday could push these amounts past a foot.

While the snow will be welcome by those with skiing interests, travel will become extremely treacherous and AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Ben Noll stated that the "wet-clinging nature of the snow could lead to downed trees and power outages."

Interstates that could quickly become snow-covered and treacherous for motorists include stretches of 87, 88, 90, 91, and 93 in upstate New York and northern New England. I-95 in Maine is also at risk.

Outside of the mountains, the rate of the snow in the interior Northeast will determine travel troubles and amounts.

"Marginal temperatures could cause the snow to melt as it falls on some of the roads for a time," stated AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.

Torrential rains to the south; heavy, wet snow to the north and dangerous icing conditions in the middle. As usual the northern Seacoast sits on a line demarcating vastly different scenarios.

"We're always on that line," lamented one Milton resident Monday night.