Lake-effect, dangerous snow squalls to follow midweek clipper storm
Motorists in portions of the Midwest and Appalachians should be prepared for rapidly changing weather conditions as advancing Arctic air sets off snow squalls and lake-effect snow with a midweek freeze-up.
In this file footage from late March 2022, I-80 and I-81 experienced massive pileups that effectively halted traffic and prompted road closures.
Snow squalls are poised to blow through parts of the Midwest, Appalachians and the Atlantic coast as a fresh surge of Arctic air sweeps through the region. AccuWeather meteorologists warn that the bursts of snow and sudden drop in visibility could lead to dangerous travel conditions, with a brief lake-effect event adding pockets of heavier snowfall.
Snow squalls are the wintertime equivalent of summertime downpours and thunderstorms, as some squalls have been known to produce lightning and thunder. Sometimes, the individual squalls organize into one or more solid lines of snowbursts.
Driving conditions can deteriorate within seconds to a couple of minutes, with visibility dropping to less than 100 feet as dry pavement rapidly becomes wet, then slushy, snow-covered or even icy.
The situation is often exacerbated by winding or hilly roads, closely bunched traffic and difficulty braking, which can lead to multiple-vehicle pileups.
This video clip was captured during an encounter with a snow squall in State College, Pennsylvania, on Feb. 19, 2022. The speed of the video was accelerated to simulate what motorists may encounter while traveling at full highway speeds. (Non-AI enhanced/Credit Alex Sosnowski)
Rain showers transitioned to snow showers and heavier snow squalls from portions of Michigan, Indiana and Ohio to West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York and western Maryland Wednesday. As temperatures plummet in this zone with the arrival of Arctic air, any areas made wet by rain and snow showers may quickly turn icy.
The combination of heavy snow squalls, plunging temperatures and strong wind gusts has prompted a blizzard warning for a portion of the West Virginia mountains.
On Thursday, some flurries, snow showers and perhaps a locally heavy snow squall may drift east of the Appalachians to the Interstate 95 corridor from Virginia to New Jersey, Massachusetts and Maine.
Closer to the Great Lakes, from Michigan to western Pennsylvania and western, northern and central New York, bands of lake-effect snow will bring several inches of snow into Thursday evening, before all but retreating to upstate New York by Friday. Road conditions in this zone will vary by the mile, due to shifting bands of snow and clear air.
As yet another batch of Arctic air threatens to bring the coldest air of the season so far this weekend into next week, a couple more clipper storms will bring more general snow to portions of the Midwest and East.
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