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Waves were higher than some houses along the coast of Scituate, Mass., during the powerful nor’easter that slammed parts New England. Most of the area is still without power.
USA TODAY

A blizzard that walloped the north-central U.S. on Monday is forecast to transform into a nor’easter, which will hit the Northeast and New England on Wednesday and Thursday.

Fortunately, though it will bring plenty of rain, snow and wind, it’s not predicted to be as strong as the “bomb cyclone” that battered the region last week. For most people in the Northeast, especially in New England and the coastal Mid-Atlantic, this will be a more typical winter storm or nor’easter, AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said.

“The big problem is that the storm this week is coming so soon after the destructive storm from last Friday,” Sosnowski said. “It will disrupt cleanup and restoration operations and is likely to cause a new but less extreme round of travel delays, power outages and damage from falling trees.”

The three northern New England states of Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine should see the heaviest snow from the next storm, according to AccuWeather meteorologist Alan Reppert.

Snow will also fall in southern New England and also in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York state, the National Weather Service said. This includes New York City, where 4-8 inches is possible, the weather service said. About 6 inches is expected in Boston.

The region was still cleaning up Monday from the deadly storm that hit Friday and Saturday. The storm killed nine people and knocked out power to about 2 million homes and businesses. Roughly 400,000 customers remained without electricity Monday, the Associated Press said.

On Monday, heavy, wind-driven snow brought blizzard conditions to the northern Plains and Upper Midwest, wreaking travel havoc and forcing schools and businesses to close in several states. Blizzard warnings and winter storm warnings and watches were in effect from eastern Montana south to Kansas and east to Wisconsin and northern Illinois, the National Weather Service said.

The weather service said parts of the Dakotas could get more than a foot of snow and that Minnesota, Nebraska and Iowa should also receive significant amounts.

In North Dakota, AccuWeather said Bismarck has only received around 18 inches of snow so far this season and could receive around a foot or more from this event alone by the time the storm winds down.

Interstate 90 was closed across much of South Dakota because of deteriorating conditions. It could be closed until Tuesday, officials say. 

Strong winds with 50 mph gusts caused whiteout conditions with zero visibility in South Dakota. The fierce winds — along with the icy roads and drifting snow — made safe travel almost impossible along this stretch of I-90 and on many other highways in the state.

On Tuesday, the storm will slide across the Great Lakes. The snow will be lighter in intensity overall but could still contribute to travel delays in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan, the Weather Channel said.

The energy from the storm will help fuel the upcoming nor’easter that will slam the East Coast on Wednesday and Thursday

The Weather Channel named the system Winter Storm Quinn.

Meanwhile, in the western U.S., welcome rain and snow hit the drought-stricken region over the past few days. The storm piled up to 8 feet of new snow in the Sierra Nevada from late last week through the weekend, the AP said.

The storm also brought parts of California more rain in hours than it received during the entire month of February. 

However, it would take six more storms to bring the state up to its normal winter precipitation by April, the National Weather Service cautioned.

Contributing: The (Sioux Falls) Argus Leader.