Winter weather 'mayhem' may brew ahead of Christmas
By
Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Dec 17, 2020 4:48 PM EDT
|
Updated Dec 19, 2020 1:21 PM EDT
Bernie Rayno says more snow could be in store for the Northeast, but the strength of the storm is still uncertain.
After the biggest in years in many areas lead to treacherous travel in the northeastern United States during the second half of the week, travel concerns are expected to linger in its wake through the weekend for Americans planning to hit the roads early for the holidays.
Meteorologists are warning that the majority of weather-related holiday travel issues into early next week are predicted to occur in the Northwest leading up to Christmas Eve. Then, a developing storm in the Central states could cause some trouble toward the middle of next week. However, even without another far-reaching major storm on the weather maps prior to Dec. 24, there will be several smaller weather troublemakers lurking about in the U.S., and these other players bear watching, forecasters are warning.
The American Automobile Association (AAA) is anticipating that 34 million people will not travel this holiday season, compared to 2019, due to COVID-19 restrictions and precautions.
People wait in line at a United Airlines area in a terminal at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago on Friday, Nov. 20, 2020. (AP Photo/Teresa Crawford)
“Public health concerns, official guidance not to travel and an overall decline in consumer sentiment have encouraged the vast majority of Americans to stay home for the holidays,” said Paula Twidale, senior vice president of AAA Travel.
Even as a major downturn in holiday travel in the days leading up to Christmas and into the start of the new year is expected, AAA says as many as 84.5 million Americans may still travel from Dec. 23 through Jan. 3 -- and, of course, the weather may play a role for people who plan to drive or fly this holiday season.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Large piles of snow in the wake of the nor'easter that buried the Northeast can lead to parking problems at some of the secondary airports that were hit the hardest by the storm from the central Appalachians to southern New England.
Patches of ice from natural melting and freezing cycles will be a concern for motorists and pedestrians in the wake of the big storm into this weekend and beyond until all of the snow, including the massive piles of plowed snow, have been removed or melted.
Farther west during this weekend, a weak storm system is expected to spread a zone of spotty snow and flurries from portions of the central Plains on Saturday to parts of the Great Lakes during Saturday night. The central Appalachians, mid-Atlantic and New England could be in for another dose of light snow or spotty snow showers during Sunday and Sunday night as the system moves eastward.
"This weak system will be more of a nuisance this weekend but can make for slippery roads during the evening and overnight hours and slow travel down a bit with a coating to an inch of snow in some places," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson said.
Farther south, the same storm system will trigger a period of steady rain from Texas and the southern Plains to the lower Mississippi Valley and Southeast over the weekend. Rain may be heavy enough, especially along the Interstate 10 corridor, for ponding of water and reduced visibility at times on the roadways. Patchy fog may also play a role in limiting visibility.
A second storm is forecast to scoot across the Gulf Coast Sunday night, and this one could bring more trouble for motorists. The storm will strengthen as it reaches the southern Atlantic coast on Monday, setting off areas of rain and perhaps thunderstorms. The rain from this sneaky storm could be heavy enough to cause excess water on the roads and result in more substantial delays for motorists on the highways.
Next, a clipper storm is forecast to bring snow showers to parts of the Midwest Sunday into Monday, the central Appalachians during Monday night and New England and part of the mid-Atlantic on Tuesday.
Even though the nature of these moisture-starved, fast-moving storms is to produce generally light snowfall, locally heavy snow showers can occur and pose serious problems for motorists due to sudden changes in visibility.
Meanwhile, storms are expected to keep rolling ashore from the Pacific Ocean and into the Northwest into early next week.
"Rain and mountain snow will be plentiful across Oregon and Washington, and snowpack will continue to grow in the mountains of Idaho and western Montana, but where precipitation is needed in California, it will track by to the north," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Mike Doll.
Motorists who plan on venturing over the passes in the Cascades should closely monitor the forecast due to periodic rounds of snow that can bring slippery conditions and substantial travel delays, forecasters said. Snow levels will vary with during each storm as rain falls along the Washington and Oregon coasts with periodic fog and windy conditions.
The most likely candidates for mountain snow and low-elevation rain in Northern California, as well as portions of northern Nevada and Utah will be a storm pushing inland Thursday and a storm predicted for the Tuesday prior to Christmas.
Little or no precipitation is forecast to reach Southern California, southern Nevada and the rest of the desert Southwest through Christmas.
As the last storm in the train of weather systems to take aim at the Northwest pushes farther eastward, it could strengthen and cause more trouble. AccuWeather meteorologists believe that storm will re-organize over the North Central states toward the middle of next week.
The strength and exact track the system takes will be determining factors for whether heavy snow will target the northern Plains and the Upper Midwest, according to Anderson.
Warmer air to the south and Gulf of Mexico moisture may not only produce rain showers but could also raise the risk of strong thunderstorms as well.
As the storm pushes even farther eastward, an outbreak of Arctic air is expected to trigger lake-effect snow from northern Michigan to West Virginia, western Pennsylvania and western and northern New York state during Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Will a storm take shape for the East on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day?
There is some indication that a secondary storm may accompany that push of Arctic air into the Appalachians and the Eastern Seaboard later next week. If this happens, there could be a period of accumulating snow from the eastern part of the Ohio Valley to the Appalachians beginning on Christmas Eve and continuing into Christmas Day.
The strength and exact track is far from set in stone at this time, but AccuWeather forecasters say that rain rather than snow is most likely along the East Coast. Along the Atlantic coast, the period of rain and perhaps thunderstorms may be accompanied by gusty winds.
“It’s important to point out that we don’t have an injection of cold air in advance of this storm. Instead, it’s coming in on the backside,” AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said, referring to the weather pattern that could lead to the storm development as "mischief and mayhem."
"The snow area is going to be smaller, and at this point we’re not going to be looking at the excessive amounts of snow that we saw with our latest storm, but it all depends on the strength of that storm,” Rayno said.
Even without a more widespread snowfall, a sweep of cold air in the wake of the storm will make for blustery and colder conditions from the Midwest to the Atlantic coast, including across the Southeastern states.
Whether the weather impacts travel or celebrations, officials are urging Americans to take precautions and make changes to plans in order to stay safe and keep others safe this holiday season.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have issued guidance on the safest way to celebrate the winter holidays amid the coronavirus pandemic. "Travel and gatherings with family and friends who do not live with you can increase your chances of getting or spreading COVID-19 or the flu," the CDC said.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo
News / Weather Forecasts
Winter weather 'mayhem' may brew ahead of Christmas
By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Dec 17, 2020 4:48 PM EDT | Updated Dec 19, 2020 1:21 PM EDT
Bernie Rayno says more snow could be in store for the Northeast, but the strength of the storm is still uncertain.
After the biggest in years in many areas lead to treacherous travel in the northeastern United States during the second half of the week, travel concerns are expected to linger in its wake through the weekend for Americans planning to hit the roads early for the holidays.
Meteorologists are warning that the majority of weather-related holiday travel issues into early next week are predicted to occur in the Northwest leading up to Christmas Eve. Then, a developing storm in the Central states could cause some trouble toward the middle of next week. However, even without another far-reaching major storm on the weather maps prior to Dec. 24, there will be several smaller weather troublemakers lurking about in the U.S., and these other players bear watching, forecasters are warning.
The American Automobile Association (AAA) is anticipating that 34 million people will not travel this holiday season, compared to 2019, due to COVID-19 restrictions and precautions.
People wait in line at a United Airlines area in a terminal at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago on Friday, Nov. 20, 2020. (AP Photo/Teresa Crawford)
“Public health concerns, official guidance not to travel and an overall decline in consumer sentiment have encouraged the vast majority of Americans to stay home for the holidays,” said Paula Twidale, senior vice president of AAA Travel.
Even as a major downturn in holiday travel in the days leading up to Christmas and into the start of the new year is expected, AAA says as many as 84.5 million Americans may still travel from Dec. 23 through Jan. 3 -- and, of course, the weather may play a role for people who plan to drive or fly this holiday season.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Large piles of snow in the wake of the nor'easter that buried the Northeast can lead to parking problems at some of the secondary airports that were hit the hardest by the storm from the central Appalachians to southern New England.
Patches of ice from natural melting and freezing cycles will be a concern for motorists and pedestrians in the wake of the big storm into this weekend and beyond until all of the snow, including the massive piles of plowed snow, have been removed or melted.
Farther west during this weekend, a weak storm system is expected to spread a zone of spotty snow and flurries from portions of the central Plains on Saturday to parts of the Great Lakes during Saturday night. The central Appalachians, mid-Atlantic and New England could be in for another dose of light snow or spotty snow showers during Sunday and Sunday night as the system moves eastward.
"This weak system will be more of a nuisance this weekend but can make for slippery roads during the evening and overnight hours and slow travel down a bit with a coating to an inch of snow in some places," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson said.
Related:
Farther south, the same storm system will trigger a period of steady rain from Texas and the southern Plains to the lower Mississippi Valley and Southeast over the weekend. Rain may be heavy enough, especially along the Interstate 10 corridor, for ponding of water and reduced visibility at times on the roadways. Patchy fog may also play a role in limiting visibility.
A second storm is forecast to scoot across the Gulf Coast Sunday night, and this one could bring more trouble for motorists. The storm will strengthen as it reaches the southern Atlantic coast on Monday, setting off areas of rain and perhaps thunderstorms. The rain from this sneaky storm could be heavy enough to cause excess water on the roads and result in more substantial delays for motorists on the highways.
Next, a clipper storm is forecast to bring snow showers to parts of the Midwest Sunday into Monday, the central Appalachians during Monday night and New England and part of the mid-Atlantic on Tuesday.
Even though the nature of these moisture-starved, fast-moving storms is to produce generally light snowfall, locally heavy snow showers can occur and pose serious problems for motorists due to sudden changes in visibility.
Meanwhile, storms are expected to keep rolling ashore from the Pacific Ocean and into the Northwest into early next week.
"Rain and mountain snow will be plentiful across Oregon and Washington, and snowpack will continue to grow in the mountains of Idaho and western Montana, but where precipitation is needed in California, it will track by to the north," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Mike Doll.
Motorists who plan on venturing over the passes in the Cascades should closely monitor the forecast due to periodic rounds of snow that can bring slippery conditions and substantial travel delays, forecasters said. Snow levels will vary with during each storm as rain falls along the Washington and Oregon coasts with periodic fog and windy conditions.
The most likely candidates for mountain snow and low-elevation rain in Northern California, as well as portions of northern Nevada and Utah will be a storm pushing inland Thursday and a storm predicted for the Tuesday prior to Christmas.
Little or no precipitation is forecast to reach Southern California, southern Nevada and the rest of the desert Southwest through Christmas.
As the last storm in the train of weather systems to take aim at the Northwest pushes farther eastward, it could strengthen and cause more trouble. AccuWeather meteorologists believe that storm will re-organize over the North Central states toward the middle of next week.
The strength and exact track the system takes will be determining factors for whether heavy snow will target the northern Plains and the Upper Midwest, according to Anderson.
Warmer air to the south and Gulf of Mexico moisture may not only produce rain showers but could also raise the risk of strong thunderstorms as well.
As the storm pushes even farther eastward, an outbreak of Arctic air is expected to trigger lake-effect snow from northern Michigan to West Virginia, western Pennsylvania and western and northern New York state during Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Will a storm take shape for the East on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day?
There is some indication that a secondary storm may accompany that push of Arctic air into the Appalachians and the Eastern Seaboard later next week. If this happens, there could be a period of accumulating snow from the eastern part of the Ohio Valley to the Appalachians beginning on Christmas Eve and continuing into Christmas Day.
The strength and exact track is far from set in stone at this time, but AccuWeather forecasters say that rain rather than snow is most likely along the East Coast. Along the Atlantic coast, the period of rain and perhaps thunderstorms may be accompanied by gusty winds.
“It’s important to point out that we don’t have an injection of cold air in advance of this storm. Instead, it’s coming in on the backside,” AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said, referring to the weather pattern that could lead to the storm development as "mischief and mayhem."
"The snow area is going to be smaller, and at this point we’re not going to be looking at the excessive amounts of snow that we saw with our latest storm, but it all depends on the strength of that storm,” Rayno said.
Even without a more widespread snowfall, a sweep of cold air in the wake of the storm will make for blustery and colder conditions from the Midwest to the Atlantic coast, including across the Southeastern states.
Whether the weather impacts travel or celebrations, officials are urging Americans to take precautions and make changes to plans in order to stay safe and keep others safe this holiday season.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have issued guidance on the safest way to celebrate the winter holidays amid the coronavirus pandemic. "Travel and gatherings with family and friends who do not live with you can increase your chances of getting or spreading COVID-19 or the flu," the CDC said.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo