Bomb cyclone swirls high winds, blizzard, ice and rain from Midwest to Northeast
A second storm in just three days' time will bring another round of wintry weather across a large swath of the central and eastern US into Monday night, with the added risk for strong winds to interrupt travel.
If you plan on traveling throughout the winter season, AccuWeather’s Anna Azallion shares some important tips on driving safety, especially when snow and ice cover the roads.
The second of a one-two punch of winter storms in the Midwest and Northeast will end up being the most significant, bringing a plethora of weather hazards that can snarl post-holiday travel, according to AccuWeather meteorologists.
"Across the Midwest and Great Lakes through Monday, a powerful storm will take shape," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham. "The storm will bring risks for heavy snow, ice, severe thunderstorms, powerful wind gusts and heavy rain.
The storm is the same system that doused California with heavy, flooding rain on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
An 'all-out blizzard' can occur in parts of Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin
Travel impacts are expected to be most severe across the Great Lakes, where colder air arriving on Monday could bring snow and whiteout conditions after a brief wintry mix.
While hilly terrain and heavily wooded areas will hold back winds a bit, open areas from southwestern Minnesota to central Ontario will receive winds of at least 35 mph and snow, creating a visibility of less than one-quarter mile for several consecutive hours, which is the criteria for a blizzard.
"These conditions will make travel extremely difficult and dangerous, if not impossible, for a time," Buckingham said.
While it will be hard to measure accumulations due to the strong winds, totals of 6 inches or more will line up with some of the stronger winds from eastern Minnesota into Wisconsin and Michigan through adjacent parts of southern Canada.
Strong winds from the storm will bring down some trees. Where utility lines are taken down, power outages may result. Regional to widespread power outages are forecast in Wisconsin, eastern Minnesota and northern and western Michigan due to wind and snow.
Farther to the east, regional power outages will primarily be due to ice buildup.
Ice, rain and severe thunderstorms south of the snow zone
South of the potential blizzard area, the storm will bring a complex mix of precipitation with rain, sleet, freezing rain and even the risk of severe thunderstorms.
"An icy corridor is expected from the storm across portions of the Northeast and New England," said Buckingham. "Currently, the zone of icing concerns is expected to span from northern and northeastern Pennsylvania through upstate New York and into New England into Monday midday."
The area where sleet and freezing rain will fall for at least a brief period of time is quite extensive, but the most significant icing is expected near the border of Ontario and Quebec, Canada, including the capital city of Ottawa. There, ice accumulations of at least 0.25 of an inch—at least 6 mm—are possible, which can cause power outages and tree damage.
Farther south, in cities such as Bangor and Portland, Maine; Albany and Binghamton, New York; Scranton, Pennsylvania; and Burlington, Vermont, even small amounts of freezing rain can turn roads and sidewalks into a sheet of ice to end the weekend and start Monday, making for dangerous travel conditions.
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For the bigger cities from the Midwest to the East Coast, the majority will have a cold, soaking rain for a few hours, including Boston, Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and New York City.
Even just rain can cause post-holiday travel slowdowns and hazardous travel because of road spray kicking up on interstate highways, especially behind tractor-trailers. The heaviest rain that moved through the Midwest and Ohio Valley regions into Sunday night will move into the Northeast Monday.
Strong winds from the Arctic behind the storm
While impacts will vary widely from region to region, there are two aspects of the storm that will hit everyone: the gusty winds and cold air that will follow it early in the new week.
Because of the storm's likely designation as a bomb cyclone, the rapid changes in pressure around the storm's center will result in an expansive swath of wind, even outside of precipitation, from the Midwest right to the Atlantic Seaboard. Widespread wind gusts of 40-60 mph are predicted, which could wreak havoc on air travel at major airports, including Chicago-O'Hare on Monday, and the New York City area airports by Monday night and Tuesday morning.
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