A major winter storm is set to impact the eastern U.S. with heavy snow and dangerous ice, fueled by the coldest Arctic air of the season. Travel disruptions and power outages are expected from the Plains to the East Coast.
A major winter storm is set to impact the eastern half of the United States, bringing damaging ice and heavy snow. This storm is fueled by the coldest Arctic air of the season, which will make travel conditions hazardous and potentially cause power outages.
The Storm’s Path and Impact
The storm is expected to intensify in the Plains on Friday, bringing a mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain. By Saturday night, the storm’s effects could stretch over 1,000 miles from Oklahoma and northern Texas to North Carolina and Virginia.
The National Weather Service has issued winter storm watches for much of Oklahoma and parts of northern Texas, Arkansas, and northwest Louisiana. Additional alerts are likely in the coming days.
Travel disruptions are expected across a widespread area, with freezing rain posing a significant risk. Even a quarter- to half-inch thick coating of ice can bring down trees and power lines, making travel impossible in some areas.
Snow and Ice Accumulation
Several inches of snow are expected to accumulate from Oklahoma, northern Texas, and southern Kansas to the mid-Atlantic. The storm’s ice zone could see significant icing, particularly in the South from northern and eastern Texas to the lower-Mississippi Valley, northern Georgia, and parts of the Carolinas.
Snow and ice are likely to break out from northern Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas to the lower-Mississippi Valley on Friday and Friday night. The wintry mix will then impact much of the South, mid-Mississippi and Ohio valleys, and the mid-Atlantic over the weekend.
Coldest Air of the Winter
The Arctic air feeding this storm will bring the coldest temperatures of the season. Dozens of locations could approach their coldest daily high temperatures on record, especially on Saturday.
Temperatures in the Twin Cities will likely remain below zero all day on Friday, with lows near minus 20 degrees. Chicago could see at least two consecutive mornings with subzero low temperatures.
Dangerously cold wind chills are expected, with the upper Midwest seeing wind chills between 30 and 50 degrees below zero. Frostbite on exposed skin can occur in as little as 10 minutes under these conditions.
The worst of the cold will push into parts of the South and the Northeast on Saturday, with temperatures 15 to 30 degrees colder than average. Highs in Boston and New York might not rise out of the teens, and Dallas-Fort Worth is likely to stay below the freezing mark.
Uncertainty and Long-Term Impacts
The track of this storm and its interaction with the cold air is still somewhat uncertain, which will affect snow and ice totals. These details will become clearer over the next couple of days.
One thing is certain: the brutal cold will not allow any accumulated snow and ice to melt quickly. This means impacts could last into early next week for areas that see significant snow and ice totals.
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