On Tuesday, about 40 million people received winter weather alerts in 17 states, from southern Utah to Michigan. A second storm further south will be added to the mix during the week.
The storm will cause heavy snowfall in much of the Midwest, including Chicago and Minneapolis.
Sewer and possible freezing rain will penetrate parts of Iowa and northern Missouri, making the roads extremely slender. The weight of the icy rainfall could drop tree limbs and power lines, causing power outages.
During the night hours, snow could change to sleet toward Chicago and then change to rain on Wednesday morning. This will cause huge impacts on daily commutes.
“Some power outages are possible due to the combined effects of wet snow buildup, some frost and gusts of up to 30 mph,” the Chicago National Weather Service office said.
The National Meteorological Service also warns: “The wet and heavy nature of snow can be difficult to palate, especially when several centimeters accumulate.”
The agency predicts 2 to 5 inches of snow and sleet for the Chicago area, along with one to two-tenths of an inch of ice.
The heaviest snow could reach up to 10 inches for parts of Iowa, northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin through Wednesday.
The second storm
A second storm system will be installed on the south side of the current weekday storm, improving snow and storms across the south until New Year’s Eve.
“There will be a fairly clear separation of air masses along the Mississippi River, with warmer-than-average temperatures in the eastern half, and lower temperatures in the west,” CNN meteorologist Brandon said. Miller.
This will set an unpleasant weather area of all kinds as various storm systems move along this boundary.
“Parts of the central plains in the Midwest, especially from Kansas in Missouri to the Great Lakes, could see a sustained period of frozen rain and ice on Wednesday and Friday again,” Miller said.
This could lead to some treacherous travel conditions, especially along the corridors of Highway 70 and Highway 80.
Snow and ice could reach as far south as Texas. The Midland / Odessa National Meteorological Service office forecasts 2 to 10 inches of snow for this part of Texas through Thursday morning.
Severe weather risk
Rain and storms will also be an issue for millions this week. Heavy rains will fall in much of the deep south, the Ohio Valley and parts of the northeast through Thursday evening, causing 1 to 3 inches of rain for cities like Oklahoma City and Little Rock, Arkansas, with about an inch of rain for much of the Ohio Valley.
The storm forecast center predicts a slight risk of severe storms, including possible tornadoes, along the Gulf Coast for more than 7 million people Thursday. These areas include New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Jackson, Mississippi.
The severe threat spread Friday to parts of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.
Midnight New Year’s Eve conditions
There will be snow and rain for many to ring during the new year.
In terms of temperatures, large northeastern cities will see temperatures in the mid-1930s.
Expect rain at midnight stretching from the Tennessee Valley to the Gulf Coast and parts of the southern plains. Temperatures at midnight will be in the mid-1950s in Charlotte and Atlanta. New Orleans will be humid, with temperatures in the mid-60s higher.
There will be possible snow in central Texas on New Year’s Eve and the chance of ice in parts of Oklahoma.
Conditions in the West will be much calmer.
Temperatures in southern and central California will be in the mid-1950s, with temperatures in the mid-1940s and rainfall in the Pacific Northwest. The central Rocky Mountains will oscillate between the middle of the upper 20s, with calm midnight conditions.