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A powerful nor'easter expected to develop into a bomb cyclone this weekend could bring significant snowfall, damaging winds and coastal flooding to parts of New Jersey, particularly along the Jersey Shore.
The storm, which hasn't yet formed, is projected to rapidly intensify off the East Coast, with meteorologists tracking its potential path and impacts. According to AccuWeather forecasters, coastal areas of New Jersey could see 3 to 6 inches of snow, while inland regions might receive 1 to 3 inches on Saturday and Sunday.
"While confidence in specific forecast details remains low, the storm could bring at least portions of the area moderate to significant impacts from snow, strong winds, and coastal flooding," the National Weather Service said Wednesday.
The Jersey Shore faces the possibility of blizzard conditions, with AccuWeather expressing confidence that the weekend storm "will raise winds and seas, leading to significant beach erosion and coastal flooding."
This comes just days after a previous storm dumped more than a foot of snow on parts of the Garden State.
The FOX Forecast Center notes that the storm is expected to undergo bombogenesis—a rapid intensification where a storm's central pressure drops at least 24 millibars in 24 hours. Current projections suggest this system could deepen from roughly 1,005 millibars to near 967 millibars between late Saturday and midday Sunday.
The heaviest snow from this system is expected to fall across the Carolinas and along the coastline from southeast Virginia to southeast Massachusetts. The Washington Post reports that swaths of 3 to 6 inches are likely in these areas, with localized amounts potentially exceeding 6 inches.
Computer guidance models continue to flip-flop on the projected track of the weekend storm. Some projections show it moving close enough to the Atlantic coast to bring heavy snow and serious coastal impacts, while others keep the storm several hundred miles farther offshore, which would limit snowfall and coastal flooding.
For the I-95 corridor from Washington D.C. to New York City, differences of just 50 to 100 miles in the storm track could mean the difference between minor impacts and more significant effects.
Residents along the Jersey Shore should prepare for potential coastal flooding and beach erosion, with wind gusts possibly reaching 50 mph according to forecasters.