Live updates: Nor’easter ‘bomb cyclone’ to blast Carolinas with heavy snow and coastal flooding

We are less than 24 hours away from the development of a powerful nor’easter set to develop off the East Coast starting Saturday.

As the storm strengthens, it will likely become a bomb cyclone, dropping its central pressure more than 35-40 millibars in 24 hours, rapidly intensifying in strength.

The storm will bring major snow, in some cases potentially the heaviest in years, the Carolinas and Virginia as well as blizzard conditions near the coast. It will then produce a glancing blow to southeast Massachusetts and leave I-95 corridor from DC to Connecticut mostly snow free.

The FOX Forecast Center will be tracking the storm step-by-step both in the studio and in the field. Stay with FOX Weather all weekend for the latest information on the incoming storm.

Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves posted on X that the states winter storm death toll had risen to 16 after two deaths were reported, one in Alcorn County and one in Union County.

FOX Weather is providing LIVE, around-the-clock coverage of the nor’easter. With more than a dozen crews deploying into the storm, this is the place for the most comprehensive storm coverage. Our team of meteorologists and correspondents will be Weathering It Together with you, reporting on the latest LIVE developments as the storm unfolds.

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Saline County Judge Matt Brumley joined FOX Weather from the county fairgrounds in Benton, Arkansas, where earlier in the week a rodeo stadium collapsed under the crushing weight of snow and ice.

County Judge Brumley said in Saline County alone, roughly 60 buildings have collapsed since the major winter storm carved a path of destruction through the area.

Dangerously cold temperatures in the coming days have triggered Cold Weather Advisories and Extreme Cold Warnings from Texas through the Southeast. These remain in place through Saturday morning and will likely be extended into Sunday as the cold persists.

Across the entire Eastern U.S. over 180 million Americans remain under Cold Weather Alerts into the start of the weekend.

Another surge of Arctic air is sweeping south, sending temperatures plunging once again to 10 to 25 degrees below average from Dallas through Nashville. The arctic air will continue to hinder the recovery process for several states combatting the devastating impacts of last weekends major winter storm.

With power outages persisting across Mississippi, Tennessee and Louisiana, the cleanup process will be significantly hampered.

Just as concerning is the wind, which could top 40 mph on Saturday. These gusts could bring down more trees and power lines already weakened by the recent ice storm. The wind will create dangerously low wind chills across portions of Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee, with values potentially dropping close to 0°F through Sunday morning.

Lows will range from 20 to 30 degrees below average, sending most of the region well below freezing, with some locations bottoming out in the upper teens to mid-20s.

The University of North Carolina Asheville’s Department of Atmospheric Sciences is launching weather balloons from the college campus to track the evolution of the nor’easter forecast to slam the East Coast Saturday.

With the first launch occurring at 6 pm on Friday, weather balloon observations will continue to track the storm through 3 a.m. on Sunday, February 1 at the latest.

The plots of the weather balloon observations will be posted in real-time here.

The weather balloons assist forecast meteorologists by gathering real time weather information and data in the atmosphere, which is essential to short term forecasting.

The balloons will allow the National Weather Service office in Asheville the ability to fine tune forecasts to continue to spread the word about winter weather impacts as the storm is happening.

Amid Tennessee’s challenging recovery process from the devastating historic winter storm, Governor Bill Lee took X as more than 70,000 customers across the state remain without power, according to data from poweroutage.com.

More than 68,000 of the outages are customers of Nashville Electric Service, a company that has come under fire as thousands of Tennesseans are inching closer to more than a week without power.

“I have shared my strong concerns with NES leadership, as well as my expectation that both communication with their customers and power restoration efforts must improve,” Gov. Lee wrote.

Ahead of a strong winter storm expected to bring significant snowfall to select areas across the state, the South Carolina Department of Transportation urged the public to remain patient as crews work to clear roads.

In a post on X, the South Carolina Department of Transportation announced it has shifted into 24-hour operations due to the nor’easter. It says crews are actively pretreating roads right now.

FOX Weather is providing LIVE, around-the-clock coverage of the nor’easter. With more than a dozen crews deploying into the storm, this is the place for the most comprehensive storm coverage. Our team of meteorologists and correspondents will be Weathering It Together with you, reporting on the latest LIVE developments as the storm unfolds.

Getting a good forecast starts with getting good observations. And that’s why the Weather Prediction Center has called upon the Hurricane Hunters for help.

An Air Force Reconnaissance C-130J just took off from its base in Biloxi, MS to head toward the developing nor’easter. It’s goal is to sample the atmosphere in the from top to bottom ahead of the storm so that computer forecast models can get the most clear picture of how things are coming together. The Hurricane Hunters often fly into major winter storms and atmospheric rivers to give forecasters better data that has been proven to improve forecasts.

Dare County Emergency Management in North Carolina is warning people to get ready for the nor’easter. On Friday afternoon, it sent a Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) to phones within the county area that “potentially life-threatening conditions outside including extreme cold, heavy snow, high winds, and coastal flooding,” are expected. The alert also announced that the county has issued a State of Emergency ahead of the storm.

Emergency management leaders are urging people across North Carolina to stay home and off the roads.

The FOX Forecast Center just released an updated snow forecast map for the Southeast. Meteorologists say the forecast remains on track for heavy snow to hammer the Carolinas, eastern Tennessee, and North Georgia starting in less than 12 hours. The snow will pick up in intensity and become widespread on Saturday morning as the nor’easter develops off the Southeast coast.

As the powerful nor’easter intensifies into a “bomb cyclone” off the Southeast coast, it is expected to drive significant coastal flooding across the North and South Carolina coastlines this weekend. The storm’s rapid deepening will generate fierce onshore winds, with sustained tropical-storm-force speeds and gusts potentially reaching 60 to 70 mph
—particularly along the Outer Banks. These relentless winds will coincide with some of the month’s highest astronomical tides, pushing walls of water inland and triggering moderate to locally major flooding. Beyond the rising waters, residents should brace for severe beach erosion, dangerous surf, and the threat of widespread power outages as the combination of high winds and heavy, wind-whipped snow creates near-blizzard conditions along the immediate coast.

The South Carolina Department of Transportation says it is actively pretreating roads and has staged crews and equipment before the first flakes fly.

Forecasts indicate more snow in northern and eastern areas of the state, which will require crews to plow and reopen a greater number of roads across impacted areas.

It is urging everyone to take storm warnings seriously and avoid driving during the storm if possible as crews work to reopen South Carolina’s roads.

Millions of Americans in the Southeast are bracing for another winter storm – this one developing into a major nor’easter that will “bomb out” as is charges north over the Atlantic Ocean. The FOX Forecast Center says a powerful area of low pressure will form just off the coast of the Carolinas on Saturday. This coastal storm will drop heavy snow over the Carolinas and blast the coast with tropical storm-force winds. The dangerously strong winds are expected to lash the coast, kicking up huge waves, triggering coastal flooding, and eroding vulnerable beaches.

Data from FlightAware shows airlines have begun canceling U.S. flights ahead of the expected nor’easter. In the last 90 minutes, dozens of flights have been canceled across the Southeast.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp declared a statewide State of Emergency this morning ahead of this weekend’s winter storm.

While Mother Nature may not be giving us a break with these back-to-back storms, the good news is we don’t take any days off when it comes to keeping Georgia communities prepared and safe.

In a press release issued Friday
, the Governor says the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) is well prepared for the snow and has already begun treating roads in areas within the storm’s path. Crews are pre-treating more than 20,000 lane miles on interstates and state routes with brine, prioritizing regions and routes that will experience the heaviest snow.

We’re monitoring for flight disruptions across the Southeast as snow coats runways from Atlanta to Boston. After last weekend’s historic winter storm that forced airlines to cancel more than 20,000 U.S. flights, air passengers are on edge as this weekend’s nor’easter threatens East Coast airports. Right now, data from FlightAware shows only a few dozen cancellations on Saturday. Most of those cancellations are at North Carolina’s Raleigh-Durham International Airport.

On Thursday, major U.S. airlines issued travel waivers for this upcoming weekend. Those waivers often allow passengers to reschedule and rebook their flight without paying a change fee.

Here are the travel waivers issued so far:

Time is running out to prepare for this weekend’s nor’easter in the Southeast. The exclusive FOX Weather Model shows the first flakes starting to fly later this evening across the Appalachians and over North Carolina as the storm begins to develop.

North Georgia will face snow and dangerously cold temperatures as the nor’easter spins up off the East Coast. The threat for impactful snow has increased this morning, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a Winter Storm Warning for Atlanta and surrounding communities. Some spots could see up to 2 inches of snow, particularly on the east and northeast side of the perimeter.

Life-threatening cold air is on the way to the Deep South right now. By Saturday morning, actual air temperatures will dip into the teens across the Gulf Coast states. With stiff northerly winds, wind chill temperatures will plummet into the single digits in some areas.

The FOX Forecast Center says this weekend’s nor’easter will track too far away from the coast to drop snow America’s heavily-populated Interstate 95 corridor. New York, Philadelphia, and Washington may see a few flurries on Sunday, but accumulating snow is unlikely.

While most of the Northeast misses out on this weekend’s powerful nor’easter, a peninsula sticking out into the Atlantic will not. Stretching far into the Atlantic, Cape Cod acts as a lightning rod for coastal systems, often experiencing the worst winds and intense snow from storms.

The FOX Forecast Center says it expects this weekend’s nor’easter to brush by Cape Cod, dropping 5-8 inches of snow on the area. Intense winds are predicted to lash the coast, too. Gusts to near 50 mph are likely.

NASA has decided to delay the launch of Artemis II as dangerously cold air invades the Sunshine State. According to the agency’s website, NASA is targeting Monday, February 2, as the tanking day for the upcoming Artemis II wet dress rehearsal at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The first potential opportunity to launch is no earlier than Sunday, February 8.

Managers have assessed hardware capabilities against the projected forecast given the rare arctic outbreak affecting the state and decided to change the timeline.

NASA says a launch date will be set pending the outcome of the dress rehearsal. Originally, Saturday, February 6 and Sunday, February 7 were considered viable opportunities for launch.

Right now, the Artemis II crew remains in quarantine in Houston and NASA says managers are assessing the timeline for crew arrival.

Click here to read the full blog post from NASA.

Clouds are increasing over the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill this morning ahead of this weekend’s nor’easter. The storm is expected to drop 5-8 inches of snow on the Piedmont area of the state through Sunday.

According to the school’s website, there are no alerts in effect for students at this time. The school canceled classes earlier in the week following the historic winter storm that slammed the eastern U.S.

The Tar Heel State is bracing for one of the biggest snowstorms in recent memory. More than a half foot of snow is expected with powerful winds that could top 60 mph. Winds that intense often only come from a nearby tropical storm or hurricane, but this weekend’s ferocious gusts will come from a nor’easter.

A nor’easter is simply a coastal storm (often off America’s East Coast) that produces northeast winds. North Carolina’s Outer Banks are often enjoyed for their white sand. That sand will be coated in snow this weekend – and it could bring a whole new meaning to the phase “blizzard beach.”

The combination of heavy snow and strong winds could produce a blizzard on the beaches of North Carolina late Saturday into Sunday. A blizzard is defined by heavy snow falling or blowing that drops visibility to less than one quarter mile with 35+ mph winds for at least 3 consecutive hours. That’s exactly what Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head, Rodanthe, and Hatteras Island could experience this weekend.

New York and Boston were hit hard by last weekend’s monster winter storm, so the thought of another big snowstorm sends shivers down the backs of a region already pushed to the brink by back-to-back storms.

Fortunately for big cities like New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, this weekend’s nor’easter will not have a significant impact. That means road crews can continue work to clear away last weekend’s snow that remains piled up wherever they can stash it.

Any meteorologist will tell you that the East Coast’s biggest snowstorms come in the form of an old-fashioned nor’easter. Low pressure develops off the East Coast and charges north, spreading heavy snow to areas along the coast. This is how the heavily-populated Interstate 95 corridor gets its big snows.

So why won’t this weekend’s storm deliver blockbuster totals? Forecasters use something called the “benchmark” to help them determine whether or not the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic will get blasted by heavy snow. The benchmark is the so-called “40/70 benchmark,” located at 40 degrees north latitude and 70 degrees west longitude. For reference, that’s some 80 miles south of Massachusetts’ Nantucket Island.

When a low-pressure system hits the “40/70 benchmark”—that meteorological sweet spot off the coast—and meets deep sub-polar air, the result is often a regional blockbuster. This precise path is the DNA of a true East Coast legend; it’s the same track used by the historic Blizzard of ’96 to bury the I-95 corridor, from D.C. to Boston, under feet of snow.

North Georgia is bracing for snow just days after a historic winter storm coated the region in snow and ice. A Winter Storm Warning is in effect for portions of North Georgia where as much as 5 inches of snow is expected to fall this weekend. Atlanta could see up to an inch of snow and the National Weather Service has placed the city under a Winter Weather Advisory.

The FOX Forecast Center just released an updated snow forecast for this weekend’s nor’easter. At this point, FOX Weather meteorologists say everything is on track to deliver heavy snow to portions of the Southeast. Up to a foot of snow is still expected over eastern North Carolina, with light snow extending as far south as Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia.

A blast of record cold air will surge south into Florida this weekend, bringing what could be the coldest temperatures the state has seen in 16 to as many as 37 years. Freezing temperatures will reach all the way into South Florida and record low temperatures are expected both Sunday and Monday mornings. Combined with

Another blast of arctic air is sweeping across the eastern half of America this morning. Air temperatures are in the single digits and many major cities are feeling subzero wind chills right now. This dangerously cold air will help spin up the nor’easter off the Eastern Seaboard later today and this weekend. An upper-level disturbance coming along with the cold will help spark the nor’easter’s development, while the cold air will ensure everything that falls from the storm will fall as snow.

This weekend’s nor’easter won’t just drop heavy snow on North Carolina. It will pack a punch with 60 mph winds roaring in off the Atlantic Ocean. Those winds will push water inland and trigger coastal flooding. The National Weather Service has issued a Coastal Flood Warning for the Outer Banks of North Carolina and Hatteras Island in anticipation of the rising water.

The warning calls for 2 to 4 feet of inundation above ground level in some areas near shorelines and tidal waterways, which could lead to property damage. NWS Newport/Morehead City says flooding will extend inland from the waterfront threatening some homes and businesses. Numerous road closures and flooding of vehicles will be possible. It also warns that portions of Highway 12 may be inundated.

The Outer Banks of North Carolina and coastal communities are bracing for heavy snow from this weekend’s nor’easter. FOX Weather is calling for 8-12 inches of snow to fall in eastern North Carolina from New Bern to Nags Head. This area also faces dangerous winds up to 60 mph as the storm rapidly intensifies, which could create blizzard conditions on the Outer Banks. Those winds will also increase the risk of beach erosion and will push ocean water inland, triggering coastal flooding.

Last weekend’s historic winter storm forced Amtrak to cancel trains and reduce service throughout the East after heavy snow and ice covered its tracks. Now five days later, it is still struggling to get back on track.

In an early morning post on X
, Amtrak announced it was canceling 13 high-speed Acela trains for Friday due to “equipment unavailability.” Additional posts reveal more than 30 trains have been canceled so far today in the Northeast Corridor.

On Thursday evening, Amtrak posted an update to its website saying “Our teams are working diligently to restore service to normal operations.”

Customers may experience delays, and additional service adjustments or cancellations may still be necessary through this weekend up to and possibly including Monday, February 2nd.

The update goes on to say that crews are actively inspecting tracks, equipment, and infrastructure to ensure a safe return to normal service.

Click here to read the service alert from Amtrak.

On Thursday, North Carolina Governor Josh Stein issued a new State of Emergency to ensure his state qualifies if federal assistance is needed to respond or recover from the weekend nor’easter. The declaration also activated the State Emergency Response Team ahead of the storm’s arrival.

Click here to read the full press release.

Heavy snow will hammer the Piedmont region across North Carolina this weekend. The FOX Forecast Center says 5-8″ of snow is expected to fall in the Raleigh-Durham area and surrounding communities. Combined with strong winds, the snow will make driving hazardous at times, particularly late Saturday into early Sunday.

The latest snow forecast from FOX Weather still calls for 8-12 inches of snow to clobber the Carolinas, particularly in eastern North Carolina and the Outer Banks.

The FOX Forecast Center is analyzing new computer forecast model data right now in order to update this forecast. We’ll post it as soon as it’s ready.

With this weekend’s nor’easter just hours away from clobbering the Carolinas with heavy snow and dangerous winds, the National Weather Service has issued Winter Storm Warnings for more than 20 million people. The warnings cover all of North Carolina, much of South Carolina, southern Virginia, eastern Tennessee, and portions of North Georgia.

Read: What is a Winter Storm Warning?

You can go back and see how the forecast has evolved with live updates from Thursday’s coverage.

Click here to see the minute-by-minute updates from FOX Weather.