Nearly the entire northeastern U.S. is getting pounded by winter storm conditions this New Years Day, with very heavy lake effect and lake enhanced snow falling to the lee of the Great Lakes, and intense synoptic scale snow over New England with a strengthening coastal low. Heavy snow showers are also falling across the higher terrain of the Appalachians from North Carolina north to Maryland with the help of orographic lift and lobes of vorticity rotating around the parent cyclone. The regional radar composite from earlier this afternoon shows the multiple facets of this system:


As seen below, winter storm warnings and snow advisories are in effect for greater than 50% of the counties in the Northeast U.S., with 4-12+ inches expected in the warning areas, and 2-6 inches of accumulation expected in the advisory areas. The favored snowbelt locations for NW and NNW-ly flow will be hardest hit this evening through early tomorrow in northern WI, western MI, northwest IN, northeast OH, northwest PA, and western NY, different from last week's W-SW-ly flow lake effect event. Very interesting day for the winter weather enthusiast to say the least!


The compact, yet intense low pressure system dropped record-setting snowfall over southern and eastern Michigan last night, with 12-16 inches falling across an area from Jackson to just north of Detroit. 4 inch per hour snowfall rates with thundersnow were reported last night near the I-69/I-96 intersection, with 2 inch per hour rates over a 6 hour period! We missed out on this snow here in the west part of the state, with only 2-4 inches of total accumulation.

MICHIGAN:
Dryden - 16.0"
Capac - 16.0"
Clarkston - 15.5"
Milford - 12.0"
White Lake - 13.2"
Jackson - 11.5"
Tekonsha - 10.0"

The long-range models are hinting at a spring-like storm system moving into the Southern Plains 6-7 days from now. January tornadoes???