Wednesday was a record breaking warm February day throughout the East thanks to SSW winds blowing out ahead of an approaching storm.

That storm will move into the region during tomorrow bringing a major 30-45 degree drop in maximum temps between Wednesday and Thursday as well as the biggest snowstorm of the winter from DC to Boston.

Current radar.

This system, once it develops a coastal low, will plug energy from the warmer than normal Atlantic and throw this into the cold Canadian air from the NW/ Upper air dynamics including powerful jet, negatively tilted trough will help this system ‘bomb out’.

Latest GFS

Thanks to the rapid deepening of the system once the warmth of the Atlantic is involved, coastal winds shall increase to gale-force. This coupled with heavy snow will produce blizzard conditions, hence the blizzard warning for eastern Long Island and the Cape.