Photo: PABLO PORCIUNCULA / AFP / Getty Images
A massive winter storm that has been raging since Friday for much of Eastern United Statess has caused authorities from the southeast to New England prepare for what could be very low temperatures and heavy snowfall.
It is expected that a front with the coldest air in years bring snow, sleet and freezing rain to some 15 states over the weekend.
More of 60 Millions of people from the Midwest to the East are under winter weather alerts due to rain, snow, sleet or freezing rain threatening conditions dangerous on the roads and freezing temperatures.
As of Fri. afternoon, about 1 in every 5 Americans (just over 67 million) are covered by either a #winter storm watch, warning, #ice storm warning or winter weather advisory from South Dakota to eastern Oklahoma to north Georgia to Maine.
Quite a footprint winter storms have. pic.twitter.com/mDePHQmVAK
— Jonathan Erdman (@wxjerdman) January 04, 2022
The severe winter storm may bring disruptions to air and ground travel. Some airports and transportation departments were already preparing for possible travel problems.
The Federal Aviation Administration advised travelers on Friday to check with their airlines for storm-related delays and cancellations.
Friday
Snow should eventually decrease in South Dakota and much of Minnesota, but will continue, at some points, over the east from Nebraska, Iowa, northern Missouri, northeastern Kansas, and western Illinois. Rain turning to snow could spread to southern Missouri, southeastern Kansas and northeastern of Oklahoma.
Heavy snow across the Mid-South, significant icing for the Piedmont of the Carolinas, heavy snow along the Appalachians into the Northeast/New England, and coastal flooding along the Atlantic shoreline. A major winter storm is set to impact a wide area this weekend. pic.twitter.com/HqqZbjaba5
— NWS Weather Prediction Center (@NWSWPC) January 14, 2022
Snow will continue to fall south during the day through parts of from southern Missouri, southern Illinois, western Kentucky, eastern Kansas, eastern Oklahoma, and northern Arkansas. In some of these areas, the snow can get heavy. On Saturday night, a mixture of snow, sleet and freezing rain is expected to develop from parts of northeastern Georgia to northern South Carolina, North Carolina, and southwestern Virginia. Snow could be heavy in the southern Appalachians.
Meanwhile, snow will continue Saturday night from Arkansas and the southern tip of Missouri to Kentucky and parts of Tennessee.
Sunday
Eit is likely to snow on Sunday from Kentucky and Tennessee to the mountains of northern Georgia and thence to West Virginia and southwestern Virginia.
In some of these areas, the snow can be intense. Some of the snow may also spread into the upper Ohio Valley and remain in parts of northern Mississippi and northern Alabama.
Sleet and freezing rain are likely
from northern Georgia to northern South Carolina, much of North Carolina to parts of Virginia.
Snow, possibly mixed with sleet and freezing rain, will also spread to the mid-Atlantic states on Sunday, and then to much of the rest of the Northeast on Sunday night.
Closer from the northeast coast, precipitation may change to rain on Sunday night. This includes the Interstate corridor 95 from Washington, DC to Philadelphia and New York City, where a snowy period could turn into rain.
With information from NWS, CNN and weather.com