The combination of heavy rainfall and melting snow due to last week’s storm could cause flooding from the mid-Atlantic to New England.
New York City, for example, will be under strong wind warning and flood monitoring from Thursday night through Friday morning, with winds forecast between 20-30 mph and gusts of up to 60 mph.
“Anyone who dreams of a white Christmas will have to settle for a windy, wet vacation,” said New York City Emergency Management Commissioner Deanne Criswell. “However, the dangers are real and we want all New Yorkers to prepare for potentially harmful winds and heavy rains.”
Wednesday night, snowstorm warnings occurred in much of the western Upper Midwest, with winds of more than 65 mph in some areas of Dakota, making travel impossible in some areas.
Winter storm warnings were also in effect for the Minnesota Twin Cities, with 6-8 inches of snow forecast and close to white conditions.
“Winds could reach gusts of up to 60 mph, causing significantly reduced visibility in the snowstorm,” according to the National Weather Service.
A spokesman for the Northwestern, West Central and Central Minnesota State Patrol said in a tweet that troops have responded to hundreds of crashes, scattered and stopped vehicles, as well as 11 knife semitrucks, just between 4 p.m. 21.00 on Wednesday.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz authorized the state National Guard to provide emergency assistance services for motorists trapped in the winter storm, his office said.
Rain was expected up and down the east coast
On Christmas Eve, the storm will continue east and produce a variety of weather conditions and bring temperature drops to much of the Midwest. Very strong winds will also accompany the storm, with warnings and wind warnings from the Gulf Coast to the U.S.-Canada border.
As the storm moves east, it will be mostly rain. Christmas Eve will be wet for millions of people from upstate New York to the Florida Panhandle. There could even be some severe storms.
“This storm setup could easily allow for dangerous winds and even some brief isolated tornadoes,” CNN meteorologist Gene Norman said. “Especially at risk on Christmas night are the eastern sections of North and South Carolina, southern Georgia and Alabama and parts of the Florida Panhandle.”
From the Ohio Valley to the Tennessee Valley, rain will change to snow Thursday afternoon. Much of West Virginia and eastern Ohio could see 3-5 inches of snow, with even higher elevations.
Heavy rains after snow can also cause melting and rapid flooding. The National Weather Service in Binghamton, New York, warned residents of the risk.
“Where heavy snow fell, this could increase the weight of the old snowmobiles on the roofs / structures, which would cause the structures to collapse,” the agency said.
The storm will clear for most of the morning, leaving a cold, windy Christmas in the south, but some parts of the northeast will be rather warm.
CNN’s Taylor Ward, Rob Frehse, Raja Razek and Dave Hennen contributed to this report.