High winds to roar from Midwest to Northeast as clipper storm brings snow to northern tier
Potentially damaging winds will sweep from the Midwest to the Northeast as a fast-moving clipper storm spreads snow across the northern tier and heightens wildfire risk across parts of the Plains.
AccuWeather’s Bernie Rayno warns of severe weather continuing this weekend for the Midwest from the risk of hail, high winds and flash flooding to extreme cold and snow for the North Central states.
Winter has made a comeback during the second half of the week as a fast-moving clipper storm continues to unleash gusty winds and areas of snow from the Midwest to the interior Northeast.
The clipper storm is following an outbreak of severe weather over the Central and Eastern states that marked an end to surging warmth and record-challenging high temperatures. Accumulating snow accompanied the temperature plunge in parts of the mid-Atlantic on Thursday.
The clipper storm will race eastward into Friday night along the boundary separating cool air in the northern U.S. and much colder, Arctic air building in Canada.
Due to the storm’s intensity, a broad zone of strong wind gusts may topple trees, down power lines, trigger rollovers of high-profile vehicles and cause property damage. A high fire threat will also continue into Friday.
As the potent clipper storm races eastward, the zone of gusty winds will shift across the Midwest and into parts of the Northeast into Friday night. A large area of wind gusts of 50-70 mph, with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 90 mph, will be possible along portions of interstates 70, 80 and 90.
The greatest danger of strong crosswinds will be along north-south interstate highways, including interstates 55, 57, 65, 69, 75, 77 and 79.
As of mid-afternoon on Friday more than 450,000 utility customers were without power from the Midwest to the central Appalachians. More power outages are likely in these areas and will expand farther to the east into Friday night as large tree limbs break or whole trees come crashing down. Be sure to keep cell phones charged. A portable generator may be needed for more lengthy outages.
North of the storm’s center, a 1,500-mile-long swath of accumulating snow will quickly spread eastward into Friday night. Many roads, sidewalks and parking lots will be slippery.
Many areas from North Dakota to northeastern New York and northern Maine will receive 1-3 inches of snow. The zone most likely to receive 6-12 inches will encompass much of northern Michigan.
"Snow across much of this swath will be prone to blowing and drifting due to the storm’s strong winds," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Matt Benz said. "Brief, periodic blizzard conditions may develop in some areas as a result. The area most likely to have a sustained true blizzard is over Michigan's Upper Peninsula."
An even stronger storm with potentially heavier snow will affect the Great Lakes region later this weekend.
That upcoming storm will bring a blast of Arctic air from the Midwest to the Northeast during the first part of next week.
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