Go Back
  • For Business
  • |
  • Warnings
  • Data Suite
  • Newsletters
  • Advertising
  • Superior Accuracy™
High risk of tropical development off US Atlantic coast. Get details Chevron right
Storms to spark on July 4th in parts of the Plains and Southeast. Click here Chevron right

Columbus, OH

77°F
Location Chevron down
Location News Videos
Use Current Location
Recent

Columbus

Ohio

77°
No results found.
Try searching for a city, zip code or point of interest.
settings
Columbus, OH Weather
Today WinterCast Local {stormName} Tracker Hourly Daily Radar MinuteCast Monthly Air Quality Health & Activities

Around the Globe

Hurricane Tracker

Severe Weather

Radar & Maps

News

News & Features

Astronomy

Business

Climate

Health

Recreation

Sports

Travel

For Business

Warnings

Data Suite

Newsletters

Advertising

Superior Accuracy™

Video

Winter Center

AccuWeather Early Hurricane Center Top Stories Trending Today Astronomy Heat Climate Health Recreation In Memoriam Case Studies Blogs & Webinars

News / Winter Weather

Pair of storms to unload snow and ice following surge of warmth

By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist

Published Mar 2, 2022 2:53 PM EDT | Updated Mar 4, 2022 6:02 AM EDT

Copied

A pair of winter storms will have the potential to bring travel issues across parts of the central and eastern United States late this week and into the first full week of March. In some locations, big temperature fluctuations are in store, and snow and ice may follow temperatures more fitting of April or May.

As is often the case with March, the weather can prove volatile, and that will be on display this weekend, as the storms will also bring a severe weather danger across parts of the Midwest and the southern U.S. where warmer air is in control.

Snow and ice from the first storm may avoid major cities of the Midwest, including Chicago and Detroit, but other areas such as Minneapolis will experience potentially disruptive snow and ice. Areas farther to the east, such as northern New York state and New England, will face wintry precipitation from Friday night to Saturday night as well.

The two storms will first bring wild weather changes to the western U.S. along with much-needed rain and mountain snow before they turn eastward late this week into early next week.

The first storm will tend to transfer its energy from California to northeastern Colorado and western Nebraska on Friday. This transfer is actually a fairly common maneuver for storms as they attempt to cross the high mountain ranges of the West. As this storm then travels northeastward along the edge of a bulging area of warmth over the Plains during Friday night and the Great Lakes region on Saturday, a zone of snow and ice will develop and expand near and north of the storm track.

As is often the case in Denver, and especially so in the spring season, dramatic changes in the weather are expected to cause weather whiplash in the Mile High City late this week. The high temperature was 72 on Thursday and is forecasted to be in the 60s on Friday before colder air and snow arrive from Friday night into Saturday. Temperatures may not get out of the 30s on Saturday as snow makes roads and sidewalks slushy and slippery. It is the second of the two storms that has a better chance of bringing a couple of inches of snow and more general slippery travel in Denver late in the weekend.

A band of somewhat heavier snow is likely to develop from southeastern Wyoming to western Nebraska and extend across portions of South Dakota on Saturday. The snow is then expected to track across central and northern Minnesota and into parts of northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan Saturday night, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson.

Within this zone, a few inches to perhaps as much as a foot of snow may fall, especially over portions of the High Plains. Travel along portions of I-80, I-90 and I-29 could be slow and difficult with road conditions ranging from wet to slushy to snow-covered.

Minneapolis is likely to get wintry precipitation on both the front and the back end of the first storm, but a wintry mix and changeover to rainfall could limit total accumulations. Still, slippery driving conditions will be possible as a mixture of snow, sleet and freezing rain will spread over the Twin Cities from Friday night into Saturday morning. Lingering mild air will allow for multiple hours of rain in the metro area from Saturday to Saturday evening, but just enough cold air may sweep in Saturday night to bring a period of snow. Temperatures by Sunday morning will dip into the 20s, and any wet and slushy areas are likely to become slippery once again.

Farther to the east, Chicago, Milwaukee and Detroit are expected to receive rain from the first storm from Friday night to Saturday night, with a wintry mix zone forecast to extend across areas farther to the north for a time across Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. However, much of the colder areas of both states will transition to rain during the height of the storm. In much of this zone, the rain will simply end as the first storm moves away.

"In the Northeast, the majority of ice or a wintry mix will generally be confined to northern New York and central and northern New England with rain forecast for Pittsburgh, New York City, Hartford, Connecticut, and Boston on south from Saturday afternoon to Saturday night and early Sunday," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Bill Deger said.

But, in the northern areas of the region in cities such as Burlington, Vermont; Manchester, New Hampshire; and Bangor, Maine; a wintry mix, including some ice, can occur. Even in areas that pick up some ice and snow, a transition to rain is likely at the height of the storm, and road conditions should improve from later Saturday night to Sunday.

As the first storm moves eastward along the Canada and U.S. border this weekend, AccuWeather forecasters say there will be a significant temperature contrast with a few hundred miles. Highs will be in the 20s and 30s across the northern tier of the country as temperature readings in the 50s, 60s and 70s occur in locations south of the storm. 

Behind the first storm, colder air will also plunge southward across portions of the Plains and Midwest then across part of the Northeast later this weekend to early next week. The temperature contrast zone will shift southward by hundreds of miles as a result.

For example, around Montpelier, Vermont, following a period of ice on Saturday night, temperatures will rise into the 50s on Sunday. But, by Monday, temperatures may fail to climb much above 40 and are likely to dip below freezing Monday night as the next storm gets underway.

"Just as portions of the High Plains and Rockies are shocked by cold air and snow associated with the first storm, the same can happen to areas farther south in the Midwest and perhaps the Northeast early next week," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Joe Lundberg said, adding that "some areas may go from highs in the 50s and 60s this weekend to a snowstorm or at least a period of snow early next week."

The exact track of the second storm along that farther south temperature boundary will determine where a new band of snow or wintry mix sets up from Sunday nigt to Monday night. The potential for several inches of snow may aim at areas near the I-80/90 corridor of the Midwest and Northeast. It could develop in such a way that cities such as Des Moines, Iowa, Chicago, Detroit and Albany, New York, end up with some snow.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP

This may not be the last storm of the season with wintry precipitation for the Central and Eastern states.

Additional storms are likely to roll from the Rockies to the Upper Midwest with the potential for snow on their northern flank into mid-March, according to AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Forecaster Paul Pastelok.

"Storms into mid-March will have some warm air out in front of them so snow may be limited to portions of the Rockies, the northern tier of the Midwest and Northeast, but a storm that will come about during the third week of the month may have colder air in front of it and may produce snow and ice farther to the south in the Midwest and Northeast," Pastelok said.

As a result, warm weather fans should enjoy the warmth while it lasts as spring snowstorms are likely for portions of the Midwest and Northeast, which could result in some cases of weather whiplash.

More to read:

Ukrainian refugees face frigid wintry conditions as they flee war
Death toll rises following historic flooding in Australia
New study sheds light on when the dinosaurs met their demise

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.

Report a Typo
Comments that don't add to the conversation may be automatically or manually removed by Facebook or AccuWeather. Profanity, personal attacks, and spam will not be tolerated.
Comments
Hide Comments

Weather News

Weather News

Passenger ferry sinks off Bali killing 5 people, 29 unaccounted for

Jul. 3, 2025
video

Bomb cyclone slams Australia with heavy rain and intense winds

Jul. 2, 2025
Weather News

Alabama teen in ICU after lightning strike hits boat, causing burns an...

Jul. 2, 2025
Show more Show less Chevron down

Topics

AccuWeather Early

Hurricane Center

Top Stories

Trending Today

Astronomy

Heat

Climate

Health

Recreation

In Memoriam

Case Studies

Blogs & Webinars

Top Stories

Weather Forecasts

Storms to spark on July 4th in parts of the Plains and Southeast

8 hours ago

Weather News

Madre Fire grows to 52,000 acres, now California’s largest wildfire of...

3 hours ago

Hurricane

High risk for tropical development off US Atlantic coast

3 hours ago

Travel

Passengers scramble out of plane in St. Louis after report of smoke

14 hours ago

Weather News

Alabama teen struck by lightning while using phone during storm

11 hours ago

More Stories

Featured Stories

Weather News

‘Shark Whisperer’ swims its way into our shark obsession

1 day ago

Weather News

Endangered turtles share this Mexican beach with SpaceX rocket debris

1 day ago

Travel

Fourth of July gas hasn’t been this cheap since 2021

2 days ago

Weather News

What makes fireworks burst with vibrant colors?

1 week ago

Health

There is no safe amount of processed meat to eat, new research shows

14 hours ago

AccuWeather Winter Weather Pair of storms to unload snow and ice following surge of warmth
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
© 2025 AccuWeather, Inc. "AccuWeather" and sun design are registered trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | About Your Privacy Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

...

...

...