High Winds to Howl in the Northeast, Disrupt Travel

Feb 25, 2012; 6:01 AM ET

High winds howling to 60 mph across the Northeast tonight into Saturday will likely result in travel delays.

A snowstorm departing into the Maritime provinces of Canada today will be followed by very high winds pushing in colder air.

Howling winds will blast the eastern Great Lakes early today, with the highest winds will blasting New England throughout the afternoon and evening hours.

The strong winds will likely cause flight delays, including for the major airports like Philadelphia, Newark, La Guardia, JFK and Boston International Airports.

Below is a list of peak wind gusts through 10 A.M. EST Saturday:

Allentown, Pa.: 41 MPH

Lancaster, Pa.: 46 MPH

New York (La Guardia), N.Y.: 45 MPH

BWI Airport: 48 MPH

Boston, Mass.: 51 MPH

Worchester, Mass.: 46 MPH

Rchester, N.Y.: 52 MPH

Altoona, Pa.: 45 MPH

Travel for high-profile vehicles, such as campers and semi-trucks, will also be dangerous in the highest crosswinds.

"

Some tree branches and a few power lines could be downed," said AccuWeather.com Expert Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski. "Trash cans left out will be blown around."

Besides causing travel headaches and some localized damage, the high winds will contribute to AccuWeather.com RealFeel® temperatures that are 10-15 degrees lower than actual temperatures. This may be shocking following a mild Friday across the southern mid-Atlantic, with highs reaching the 50s, 60s and even 70s.

Across the interior Northeast, actual highs will be in the 20s and 30s on Saturday, while highs for the I-95 corridor cities from Philadelphia to Boston and Portland will be in the 40s. The high in Washington, D.C., will be in the 50s, but it will feel much cooler.

Lake-Effect Snow for Great Lakes, Interior Northeast

The colder air rushing across the still mild and mostly unfrozen Great Lakes will trigger lake-effect snow showers for typical snowbelts downwind of the lakes.

The heaviest bands will continue to set up downwind of Lake Erie in northwestern Pennsylvania and western New York state through today. Heavy bands of snow will continued downwind of Lake Ontario across New York state as well.

SEE ALSO: Lake-Effect Snow Thump for Great Lakes, Norheast

Motorists in Erie, Pa., and Syracuse, N.Y., should be prepared for sudden bursts of snow that reduce the visibility and create slippery roads.

Quick bursts of snow will also whiten the Appalachians all the way southward into the mountains of North Carolina.

High Winds to Howl in the Northeast, Disrupt Travel