Snow squalls to create highway dangers in Upper Midwest, Northeast Tuesday
Brief but intense snow squalls can rapidly reduce visibility to near zero and create slick, snow-covered roads, posing a danger to motorists from the Great Lakes to the Northeast into Tuesday night.
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)
Flurries and heavier snow squalls will sweep from the Great Lakes region to much of the Northeast into Tuesday night, causing rapidly changing visibility and road conditions. Drivers should be ready for sudden whiteouts and slick stretches, especially on highways.
March is a month notorious for all sorts of weather mayhem, as evidenced by conditions over the past couple of days in the Midwest and Northeast.
The atmospheric setup into Tuesday evening is similar to summertime thunderstorms. While the air is chilly near the ground, it is much colder high in the sky. The result is towering cumulus clouds that can wring out heavy precipitation in the form of brief, heavy snow instead of a torrential downpour.
Some areas may experience multiple snow squalls with breaks of sunshine in between, similar to what occurs during summertime showers and thunderstorms.
Visibility can plummet to less than 100 feet in a matter of a couple of minutes, and roads and sidewalks can quickly turn from wet to slushy and snow-covered.
Motorists are strongly urged to be aware of changes in visibility in the distance that might signal an approaching snow squall. Sometimes, it may be safest to exit major highways to avoid the pressure to drive too fast for conditions.
Major and sometimes deadly multiple-vehicle pile-ups have occurred during snow squalls that rapidly reduced visibility and traction.
"The snow squalls will be most frequent from the Great Lakes to the Appalachians," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty said. "However, some may reach the Interstate 95 corridor of the mid-Atlantic and New England into Tuesday evening."
Where the snow showers pass over airport locations, delays due to aircraft and runway deicing are likely.
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