Gigantic winter storm spreading heavy snow, ice across 1,800-mile stretch of US
By
Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Feb 23, 2022 2:12 PM EDT
|
Updated Feb 24, 2022 6:23 AM EDT
The second major cross-country storm of the week was spreading snow and an icy mix across parts of the southern Plains on Wednesday after impacting parts of California and the Southwest with heavy snow earlier in the week.
This potent storm system has eyes for the northeastern United States, AccuWeather forecasters say, and is expected to cause major travel disruptions by spreading a wintry mix into the mid-Atlantic as well as up to a foot or more of snow in parts of New England.
This expansive and far-reaching storm will have impacted approximately 265 million people from California to Maine by the time it exits the U.S. Friday evening, according to AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno.
The storm was still making its presence felt in the West on Wednesday as snow fell for portions of interstates 15, 25, 40 and 70 from Utah and Arizona to Colorado and New Mexico through Wednesday night. About 1-2 feet of snow and locally higher amounts can result in highway shutdowns.
Major ice storm may hit part of central US hard
Hundreds of miles farther to the east, an ice storm began to unfold from central Texas to central and eastern Oklahoma to central Arkansas Tuesday night and continued to develop Wednesday.
Winter storm warnings were in place for northeastern Texas to parts of southwestern Illinois as of Thursday morning.
Temperatures have plummeted in dramatic fashion over the southern Plains after May-like warmth was felt at the start of the week. For example, after a high of 77 F on Monday and 62 on Tuesday, temperatures at the start of Wednesday were hovering in the mid-teens at Wichita Falls, Texas, with sleet falling, thunder booming and lightning flashing overhead. Temperatures were 30-40 degrees below January levels.
The ice component of the major winter storm is expected to impact an area covering more than 1,800 miles.
The ice expanded into northeastern Arkansas, southern Missouri, northwestern Tennesse and western Kentucky through Wednesday night with temperatures in these areas in the 20s and lower 30s. In these locations, freezing rain totals of 0.25 to 0.50 of an inch will occur, which can not only bring significant damage to trees but also trigger widespread power outages as well. There can be pockets where 0.50 to 0.75 of an inch of ice can accrue on trees and power lines, which could result in major damage and long-lasting power outages.
Travel in this zone that includes the metro areas of Dallas; Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma; Fort Smith and Little Rock, Arkansas; Cape Girardeau, Missouri; and Paducah, Kentucky; will range from hazardous to extremely dangerous. Thunder and lightning, which is rare during a winter storm, can accompany the ice in part of this area. Forecasters caution that heavy rates of freezing rain and sleet will be possible.
During Thursday, somewhat less intense areas of freezing rain and sleet will expand across the southern portions of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, as well as northern portions of Kentucky. This zone includes much of the U.S. Route 50 corridor and portions of I-64 and I-70.
As the ice begins to expand northeastward, snow and slippery driving conditions will develop over portions of northern Oklahoma and eastern Kansas and expand to more of the central Plains and lower Great Lakes region on Thursday. About 3-6 inches of snow is forecast to extend from just north of St. Louis and Indianapolis to just south of Chicago.
The moderate to heavy snowfall will reach Peoria, Illinois; Fort Wayne, Indiana; Detroit and Cleveland and likely produce substantial travel delays. As cold air flows in following the storm Thursday night, areas of slush and standing water will freeze.
South of the zone where ice will accumulate in the Central states, enough rain will fall from Thursday night into Friday to aggravate existing high water levels on area streams and rivers in portions of the lower Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee valleys. Most of the flooding will be of minor to moderate nature, but river levels can reach major flood stage in a few locations. It may take until early next week for some of the larger rivers, such as the Ohio and Kentucky, to recede.
Northeast braces for formidable winter storm
"Many areas in the Northeast got away with plain rain from the first storm of the week from Tuesday to Wednesday, but they will not be so lucky with the second storm of the week," Rayno said.
From Thursday night to Friday, enough ice can still occur from the storm to raise the risk of tree and power line damage in parts of the central Appalachians, but snowfall will markedly ramp up farther north in the Northeast and will have skiers jumping for joy.
Winter storm watches and warnings have been issued for areas from Pennsylvania to Maine in the Northeast.
Enough freezing rain and sleet can occur to create slippery road conditions across much of Pennsylvania to part of West Virginia, northern Virginia, northern Maryland, northern New Jersey, southeastern New York and along the southern coast of New England. However, forecasters say there will be an area where between 0.25 and 0.50 of an inch of ice can build up on trees and power lines from west-central Pennsylvania to part of northern Virginia before temperatures rise to just above freezing on Friday. This zone will be most susceptible to some tree damage and regional power outages.
Snowfall from most of upstate New York through much of central New England will be much heavier than what falls over the Central states due to the influx of moisture from both the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.
A broad area of 6-12 inches of snow with locally higher amounts is forecast from western New York through central Massachusetts and central and southern Maine. Within this zone, from the southern parts of Vermont and New Hampshire to northwestern Massachusetts, about 1-2 feet of snow is forecast with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 30 inches.
Boston will be on the cusp of a moderate to heavy snowfall with 6-10 inches forecast for the immediate central coast of Massachusetts to as much as 12 inches just west of Route 128. A slight shift in storm track or slightly lower temperature can result in heavier snow in the city.
Because much of this snow will fall in less than 24 hours, the heavy rate of snow, about 1-3 inches per hour, will make it difficult for road crews to keep up and raise the potential for even some of the best winter-seasoned motorists in the Northeast to become stranded. Just as in parts of the southern Plains, thunder and lightning can accompany the ice and snow in some locations, adding to the dramatics of this major winter storm.
Those commuting to work or school in the Northeast should be prepared for a work-from-home day on Friday due to the magnitude of the storm.
Even though New York City will be on the southern fringe of the snow area, enough of an icy mix can occur to make roads slippery for a time Thursday night. And, even while temperatures are forecast to rise above freezing during the day on Friday in the five boroughs that make up the city, there is a concern for substantially more snow and ice that will occur in the northern and western suburbs and even on parts of central Long Island.
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Motorists should be prepared for a period of sleet and snow Thursday evening along the Interstate 95 zone from Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia with temperatures expected to reach no higher than the 30s. This wintry threat will follow highs within a few degrees of 70 on Wednesday for this corridor of the Northeast. Since sleet has the potential to cool road surfaces more quickly than snow, some roads can be slippery as a result before rain takes over Thursday night into Friday and is accompanied by rising temperatures.
Colder air will move back into the Northeast Friday night, however, and can cause wet and slushy areas to freeze, just like in the Midwest Thursday night. Substantially colder Arctic air may wait until the start of next week to arrive.
That transition to much colder air may be accompanied by a round of dangerous snow squalls in some areas from Sunday afternoon to Sunday night.
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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News / Winter Weather
Gigantic winter storm spreading heavy snow, ice across 1,800-mile stretch of US
By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Feb 23, 2022 2:12 PM EDT | Updated Feb 24, 2022 6:23 AM EDT
The second major cross-country storm of the week was spreading snow and an icy mix across parts of the southern Plains on Wednesday after impacting parts of California and the Southwest with heavy snow earlier in the week.
This potent storm system has eyes for the northeastern United States, AccuWeather forecasters say, and is expected to cause major travel disruptions by spreading a wintry mix into the mid-Atlantic as well as up to a foot or more of snow in parts of New England.
This expansive and far-reaching storm will have impacted approximately 265 million people from California to Maine by the time it exits the U.S. Friday evening, according to AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno.
The storm was still making its presence felt in the West on Wednesday as snow fell for portions of interstates 15, 25, 40 and 70 from Utah and Arizona to Colorado and New Mexico through Wednesday night. About 1-2 feet of snow and locally higher amounts can result in highway shutdowns.
Major ice storm may hit part of central US hard
Hundreds of miles farther to the east, an ice storm began to unfold from central Texas to central and eastern Oklahoma to central Arkansas Tuesday night and continued to develop Wednesday.
Winter storm warnings were in place for northeastern Texas to parts of southwestern Illinois as of Thursday morning.
Temperatures have plummeted in dramatic fashion over the southern Plains after May-like warmth was felt at the start of the week. For example, after a high of 77 F on Monday and 62 on Tuesday, temperatures at the start of Wednesday were hovering in the mid-teens at Wichita Falls, Texas, with sleet falling, thunder booming and lightning flashing overhead. Temperatures were 30-40 degrees below January levels.
The ice component of the major winter storm is expected to impact an area covering more than 1,800 miles.
The ice expanded into northeastern Arkansas, southern Missouri, northwestern Tennesse and western Kentucky through Wednesday night with temperatures in these areas in the 20s and lower 30s. In these locations, freezing rain totals of 0.25 to 0.50 of an inch will occur, which can not only bring significant damage to trees but also trigger widespread power outages as well. There can be pockets where 0.50 to 0.75 of an inch of ice can accrue on trees and power lines, which could result in major damage and long-lasting power outages.
Travel in this zone that includes the metro areas of Dallas; Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma; Fort Smith and Little Rock, Arkansas; Cape Girardeau, Missouri; and Paducah, Kentucky; will range from hazardous to extremely dangerous. Thunder and lightning, which is rare during a winter storm, can accompany the ice in part of this area. Forecasters caution that heavy rates of freezing rain and sleet will be possible.
During Thursday, somewhat less intense areas of freezing rain and sleet will expand across the southern portions of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, as well as northern portions of Kentucky. This zone includes much of the U.S. Route 50 corridor and portions of I-64 and I-70.
As the ice begins to expand northeastward, snow and slippery driving conditions will develop over portions of northern Oklahoma and eastern Kansas and expand to more of the central Plains and lower Great Lakes region on Thursday. About 3-6 inches of snow is forecast to extend from just north of St. Louis and Indianapolis to just south of Chicago.
The moderate to heavy snowfall will reach Peoria, Illinois; Fort Wayne, Indiana; Detroit and Cleveland and likely produce substantial travel delays. As cold air flows in following the storm Thursday night, areas of slush and standing water will freeze.
South of the zone where ice will accumulate in the Central states, enough rain will fall from Thursday night into Friday to aggravate existing high water levels on area streams and rivers in portions of the lower Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee valleys. Most of the flooding will be of minor to moderate nature, but river levels can reach major flood stage in a few locations. It may take until early next week for some of the larger rivers, such as the Ohio and Kentucky, to recede.
Northeast braces for formidable winter storm
"Many areas in the Northeast got away with plain rain from the first storm of the week from Tuesday to Wednesday, but they will not be so lucky with the second storm of the week," Rayno said.
From Thursday night to Friday, enough ice can still occur from the storm to raise the risk of tree and power line damage in parts of the central Appalachians, but snowfall will markedly ramp up farther north in the Northeast and will have skiers jumping for joy.
Winter storm watches and warnings have been issued for areas from Pennsylvania to Maine in the Northeast.
Enough freezing rain and sleet can occur to create slippery road conditions across much of Pennsylvania to part of West Virginia, northern Virginia, northern Maryland, northern New Jersey, southeastern New York and along the southern coast of New England. However, forecasters say there will be an area where between 0.25 and 0.50 of an inch of ice can build up on trees and power lines from west-central Pennsylvania to part of northern Virginia before temperatures rise to just above freezing on Friday. This zone will be most susceptible to some tree damage and regional power outages.
Snowfall from most of upstate New York through much of central New England will be much heavier than what falls over the Central states due to the influx of moisture from both the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.
A broad area of 6-12 inches of snow with locally higher amounts is forecast from western New York through central Massachusetts and central and southern Maine. Within this zone, from the southern parts of Vermont and New Hampshire to northwestern Massachusetts, about 1-2 feet of snow is forecast with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 30 inches.
Boston will be on the cusp of a moderate to heavy snowfall with 6-10 inches forecast for the immediate central coast of Massachusetts to as much as 12 inches just west of Route 128. A slight shift in storm track or slightly lower temperature can result in heavier snow in the city.
Because much of this snow will fall in less than 24 hours, the heavy rate of snow, about 1-3 inches per hour, will make it difficult for road crews to keep up and raise the potential for even some of the best winter-seasoned motorists in the Northeast to become stranded. Just as in parts of the southern Plains, thunder and lightning can accompany the ice and snow in some locations, adding to the dramatics of this major winter storm.
Those commuting to work or school in the Northeast should be prepared for a work-from-home day on Friday due to the magnitude of the storm.
Even though New York City will be on the southern fringe of the snow area, enough of an icy mix can occur to make roads slippery for a time Thursday night. And, even while temperatures are forecast to rise above freezing during the day on Friday in the five boroughs that make up the city, there is a concern for substantially more snow and ice that will occur in the northern and western suburbs and even on parts of central Long Island.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Motorists should be prepared for a period of sleet and snow Thursday evening along the Interstate 95 zone from Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia with temperatures expected to reach no higher than the 30s. This wintry threat will follow highs within a few degrees of 70 on Wednesday for this corridor of the Northeast. Since sleet has the potential to cool road surfaces more quickly than snow, some roads can be slippery as a result before rain takes over Thursday night into Friday and is accompanied by rising temperatures.
Colder air will move back into the Northeast Friday night, however, and can cause wet and slushy areas to freeze, just like in the Midwest Thursday night. Substantially colder Arctic air may wait until the start of next week to arrive.
That transition to much colder air may be accompanied by a round of dangerous snow squalls in some areas from Sunday afternoon to Sunday night.
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For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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