Winter Storm Warnings Jump to 3 Feet of Snow, 50 mph Winds

Winter isn't over yet in the U.S., and despite a short warmup, the National Weather Service (NWS) is warning of severe weather across areas of the country starting on Sunday, Feb. 22, and continuing through Monday night, Feb. 23.

The NWS has announced winter storm warnings and watches for vast portions of the Northeast, Midwest and surrounding regions, with weather experts warning of a "rapidly strengthening" storm that may bring up to 3 feet of snow to the area.

Northeast and Surrounding Areas Looking at Up to 3 Feet of Snow

Specifically, NWS research expects up to 36 inches of snow to come down across New England, a larger snow total than previously thought. According to a report from the Weather Prediction Center, "Power Outages are expected across parts of the region due to the combination of heavy, wet snow and strong winds lasting into Monday."

In another post shared on the official NWS pages, meteorologists state, "An approaching storm will bring rain and high elevation snow to Pacific Northwest through the weekend. Isolated severe thunderstorms are possible across parts of the Southeast today into this evening. An impactful winter storm is forecast to bring heavy snow and high winds to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast Sunday into Monday."

The weather experts at AccuWeather also have information on this storm, stating, "Major nor'easter with blizzard conditions to rage from NYC to Boston and Delaware. A rapidly strengthening storm will bring major travel disruptions to much of the northeastern United States from Sunday to Monday as snow is forecast to pile up with blizzard conditions in coastal areas."

They also state that 12 to 18 inches of snow and 50 mph winds are expected near the coast from New Jersey and Long Island, New York, coastal Delaware, Maryland and through southeastern New England, plus, their "Local StormMax" is 36 inches into Monday night.

Rapid Snowfall Expected to Leave 'Motorists Stranded' in the mid-Atlantic to Southern New England Regions

In their report, AccuWeather also states that their "meteorologists are forecasting a rapidly strengthening nor'easter to bring the heaviest snow to areas of the Northeast and cities along the Interstate 95 corridor into Sunday.

They add that, areas of of Long Island and the Cape are projected to get an additional 12 to 18 inches of snow, Boston is at six to 10 inches and New York City and Philadelphia are looking at three to six inches. In addition, "travel disruptions and delays are expected on highways, rail and at airports along the path of the winter storm. AccuWeather experts estimate more than 1,000 flight cancellations on Sunday and 1,500 flight cancellations on Monday."

After this storm moves through, warmer than normal weather is projected for the majority of the U.S., according to research from the NOAA. The first day of spring arrives on March 20 at 10:46 a.m. ET.