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A fast-moving winter storm will bring a swath of heavy snow from North Dakota to northern Missouri starting tonight.
Snowfall rates can reach 1 inch per hour at times, and travel is likely to become dangerous, according to the forecast from the National Weather Service (NWS) Weather Prediction Center.
A fast moving winter storm will bring a swath of heavy snowfall from North Dakota into northern Missouri beginning this evening. Snowfall rates may reach 1″https://Real America News.com/hr at times, and travel will likely become hazardous. pic.twitter.com/upMGv2Kgp6
— NWS Weather Prediction Center (@NWSWPC) January 13, 2022
The winter storm of movement fast will bring heavy, drifting snow that can combine with gusty winds to create dangerous conditions for travel in parts of the Northern Plains and upper Midwest into the middle Mississippi Valley through Saturday morning, according to CNN.
This storm will spread winter precipitation from the southeastern to northeastern United States this weekend through early next week Arctic air is forecast to reach the Northeast Friday night through Saturday.
In some places, including Des Moines , Iowa, snow will begin to fall on Friday. “The duration of the snowfall is likely to be 14 to 14 hours in most places, which should allow widespread accumulation of more than 4 inches and in some places exceeding 8 or more inches,” the NWS in Des Moines said.
A winter hit for the mid-south
As the winter storm system moves rapidly south, will kick off a wintry weekend in Little Rock, Arkansas, Memphis, Tennessee and even Jackson, Mississippi could get snowfall.
Memphis could be a snowfall winner in this region. It will start as rain and change to snow from west to east on Saturday night and Sunday morning.
“At this point, the question is not whether it will snow, but where the big snow bands form and how much it falls,” the weather service office in Memphis said. “Models continue to be inconsistent creating a complicated forecast regarding snow accumulations.”
Rain, ice? or snow for the Southeast?
While the areas around Atlanta, especially the northern suburbs, will see all the precipitation types, pinpointing who will get what is still tricky.
Northern Mountains of Georgia have the best chance of seeing the largest snowfall totals, while the closest areas to Atlanta could see more rain with a little snow mixed in. The uncertainty lies in where the cut will be.
“So the main message is: prepare for winter weather and potential major impacts on travel, but understand that these winter storms are difficult to predict and they change rapidly,” the weather service in Nashville said.
The picture is starting to become a little clearer, although we still can’t give a snowfall forecast for your exact location with much confidence. The temperatures in the graphic are for Nashville. (If you live along the Cumberland Plateau, you can shave off a few degrees.) pic.twitter.com/sdOhNMVcUC— NWS Nashville (@NWSNashville) January 14, 2022
Winter strike from the Mid-Atlantic to New England
As the system travels north, ice ceases to be a problem and rain and snow become the two main factors. However, this will complicate travel to Washington, DC and Baltimore on Sunday and Monday.
In the New York City area, precipitation is forecast to begin on Sunday afternoon. “For inland areas, there could be a rapid discharge of heavy snow, especially to the north and west,” the weather service in New York City said.
A strong storm is expected to affect the region late Sun-Mon with snow, winter mix, rain, strong winds, & coastal impacts. There is still uncertainty, but there is potential for accumulating snow mainly across the interior.
The greatest potential for 6″ or more is in yellow. pic.twitter. com/9rmUDwR80f— NWS New York NY (@NWSNewYorkNY) January 02, 2022
The areas that will see mostly rain and the areas that will see mostly snow will be determined by the proximity of the low pressure area to the coast.If the low continues further west, most large cities will get a cold shower , while inland areas will see snow.
Any variation in the storm track will bring changes to the forecast.