Snow, ice creating treacherous travel in central and eastern US prior to Christmas Eve
A storm that is drenching part of the Ohio and Tennessee valleys with rain is also bringing snow and ice to the interior Northeast through Saturday.
A stripe of snow is also forecast to extend from parts of Oklahoma to Ohio as colder air presses in.
The storm is likely to cause both airline and highway delays at a time when travel ramps up for the Christmas holiday. Enough ice may accumulate to cause power outages and tree damage in part of the Northeast.
Snow, ice to hinder early holiday travel in Northeast
For the most part, areas of heavy rain in the Ohio and Tennessee valleys will occur simultaneously with the snow and ice in the Northeast.
As moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic encounters much lower temperatures across the northern tier, a swath of snow and ice will expand across New England through Saturday morning.
While a blockbuster storm is not expected, enough snow and ice will occur to create a real mess for early holiday travelers and last-minute shoppers.
As milder air filters northward, a narrow zone of freezing rain and drizzle will occur on the southern edge of the snow area, including in Boston. Many of the Boston suburbs up into northern New England saw some accidents on roadways due to icy conditions on Saturday morning, according to WBZ News Radio.
By mid-morning on Saturday, major airport delays were being reported in Boston and Detroit, with moderate delays filtering out to Newark and Philadelphia International airports. These airports will also be plagued with periods of steady rain and low clouds which could add to delays.
This icy zone will shift northward and grow markedly in size, spreading across much of northern New England and Maine.
Enough ice may accrue to weight down trees and power lines as ice and snow stubbornly hangs around for much of the day. Power outages may occur.
As temperatures rise a bit more throughout Saturday, plain rain and drizzle will occur in areas that received a bit of ice and in some locations that received both snow and ice in New England.
Storm to paint a stripe of snow from Oklahoma to Ohio, Michigan
As the storm pulls away, a press of cold air will catch up with the back edge of the rain in part of the Central states. A narrow zone of 1-3 inches of snow is likely with areas of slushy and slippery conditions.
The accumulating snow extended across the South Central states into early Saturday morning, with snow reported in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and St. Louis.
This stripe of accumulating snow will continue to extend northeastward across central Indiana, northern Ohio and southeast Michigan on Saturday. This snow quickly accumulated across the Detroit area, causing slick road conditions and airport delays.
Soon after this storm leaves, a second, double-barreled storm will hit part of the Midwest with snow on Sunday and a large part of the Northeast with snow on Sunday night and part of Christmas Day.
Torrential rain to soak Ohio, Tennessee valleys
Enough rain to cause localized flash flooding and poor visibility for motorists is forecast to spread from Tennessee to part of West Virginia and the southern Appalachians through Saturday morning. The Interstate 64 corridor will be most affected by the rain.
The rain spread through portions of the lower Mississippi Valley on Friday night, triggering localized incidents of flash flooding in Arkansas and western Tennessee.
Airline delays are possible from regional airports such as Nashville; Lexington, Kentucky; and Charleston, West Virginia.
Rain and embedded downpours will extend northeastward into parts of Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, southeastern New York and the southern coast of New England.
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