February storms could hit the South and also lift mid-Atlantic seasonal snow totals to above normal

Two and perhaps three individual storms could bring snow and ice across the southern U.S. farther south than usual starting late this weekend and continuing through the end of February, according to AccuWeather meteorologists.

The southern storm track could impact Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, and possibly northern Mississippi.

Those storms also will bring snow and ice to the Northeast, including Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York City. If the mid-Atlantic storms reach their potential, those cities will wind up with higher-than-average snowfall totals for the season.

"All it takes is one storm – or a combination of them – to push those places above normal,”

said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dave Dombek.

New York City has been below normal (8.5 inches compared to 16.0 normal to date), with Philadelphia (10.3 vs. 14.3) and Baltimore (11.1 vs. 14.0) also below average snowfall. Washington, D.C., is pacing above its seasonal average so far with 14.0 inches to date compared to the 11.1 inches it typically sees by this time of year. Snow is measured seasonally from the first snowfall in the fall until the last snowfall in the spring.

New York City averages 25.8 inches of snow for a season, with Philadelphia at 22.4, Baltimore at 20.1 and Washington, D.C. at 15.5.

“The relatively warm ocean, which often causes the snow to change to rain from the I-95 corridor east, is actually at its coldest in the second half of February and into March,”

said AccuWeather founder and CEO Dr. Joel N. Myers.

“Even though the sun is starting to get stronger at this time of the year, the ocean is colder. Other things being equal, snow is most likely during this period than at any other portion of the snow season.”