Big snow storm in Northeast to start 2024? Forecast says snow could finally be on the way.

After a wait of nearly two years, a major snowstorm could hit big cities including New York City and Washington D.C. this weekend — though the forecast was far from certain as of Wednesday.

According to AccuWeather, for many locations near the Interstate 95 corridor, it has been two winters since there was an inch of snow. This storm could change that.

But Weather.com meteorologist Chris Dolce said that "uncertainty remains high at this early stage given questions about the storm's track and how much cold air will be available near the coast."

There's been a snow drought in Mid-Atlantic and Northeast

Mid-Atlantic and Northeast cities have endured a notable snow drought the past few winters. The last time there was an inch of snow from a single storm in New York City was on Feb. 13, 2022, or 686 days ago. 

In Washington, D.C., the most recent storm that brought 1 inch of snow was on Jan. 16, 2022, or 717 days ago, according to AccuWeather. For Baltimore, it has been 705 days since 1 inch of snow fell.

It's not just the big cities that have endured a lack of snow: "As the snow drought continues along much of I-95 in the mid-Atlantic, snow has also been very lean across the central Appalachians, Great Lakes region and coastal New England," said Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist.

How much snow is expected to fall?

An early forecast map from AccuWeather (below) that was published Wednesday morning shows that 1-3 inches of snow is likely to fall in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York City.

Boston could see 3-6 inches, AccuWeather said. Even higher amounts, from 6-12 inches, are forecast in the higher elevations well to the north and west of the big cities.

Forecast remains uncertain

Still, this many days away, with the ingredients of the storm just beginning to come together over the western U.S., the computer models meteorologists use show that a potent storm is likely, but the details of timing and track remained fuzzy.

"S​nowfall forecasting is among the most challenging tasks meteorologists face," Dolce said. "That's because of several factors that can be uncertain days ahead of a potential storm's arrival."

Those factors include the amount of cold air available for snow to develop, which if absent can mean it rains instead.

Be aware – and be prepared

"F​or now, it's best to just stay aware that a storm is likely this weekend and it could impact your plans because of rain, snow or a combination of both," Dolce said.

AccuWeather advises that property owners may want to brush the dust off their snow shovels and snowblowers and have ice-melting compounds ready. "Highway departments and townships may also want to review their plan of action ahead of the storm," Sosnowski said.

In addition, he said, "the lack of heavy snow over such a long period could have some motorists out of winter driving practice." And for new drivers who have only recently earned their licenses, this could be their first experience driving in snow.

The storm also could affect some NFL football games over the weekend, including contests in Baltimore, Washington, D.C., New York and New England.