Nearly 40 million people were under winter weather warnings in 17 states from southern Utah to Michigan on Tuesday. A second, more southerly storm will bolster the mix midweek.
The storm will bring heavy snowfall across much of the Midwest on Tuesday, including Chicago and Minneapolis.
Sleet and possible freezing rain will penetrate parts of Iowa and northern Missouri, making roads extremely slippery. The weight of the frozen fallout can drop tree limbs and power cables, causing power outages.
During the night hours, the snow for Chicago can turn to sleet and turn to rain by Wednesday morning. This will have a huge impact on commuting.
“Some power outages may be due to the combined effects of sleet buildup, some icing, and gusts of wind up to 30 mph,” said the National Weather Service office in Chicago.
The National Weather Service also warns, “The heavy, wet nature of the snow can be difficult to shovel, especially where a few inches 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 can reach 10 inches through Wednesday for parts of Iowa, Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin.
The second storm
A second storm system will come in on the south side of the current storm midweek, increasing snow and storms in the south until New Year’s Eve.
“There will be a fairly clear division between the air masses along the Mississippi River, with warmer-than-average temperatures along the eastern half, with cooler temperatures in the west,” said CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller.
This will create an area of all kinds of nasty weather as multiple storm systems move along this boundary.
“Parts of the central plains to the Midwest, especially those stretching from Kansas through Missouri to the Great Lakes, could get freezing and freezing again on Wednesday and Friday,” Miller said.
This could create treacherous travel conditions, especially along Interstate 70 and Interstate 80 corridors.
Snow and ice could hit south Texas. The National Weather Service office in Midland / Odessa forecasts 2 to 10 inches of snow for that part of Texas through Thursday morning.
Risk of severe weather
Rain and storm will also be a problem for millions this week. Heavy rain will fall on much of the Deep South, Ohio Valley, and parts of the Northeast through Thursday night, bringing cities like Oklahoma City and Little Rock, Arkansas, about an inch of rain. of the Ohio Valley.
The Storm Forecast Center predicts a small 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 serious threat shifts to parts of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina on Friday.
Midnight conditions on New Years Eve
Snow and rain will linger for many to ring in the new year.
In terms of temperatures, the major cities in the Northeast will see temperatures in the mid-1930s.
At midnight, expect rain stretching from the Tennessee Valley to the Gulf Coast and parts of the Southern Plains. Midnight temperatures will be in the mid-1950s for Charlotte and Atlanta. New Orleans will be wet, with mid-60s temps.
There may be snow in central Texas on New Year’s Eve and ice in parts of Oklahoma.
Conditions in the West will be much calmer.
Temperatures in southern and central California will be in the mid-50s, with temperatures in the mid-40s and rain for the Pacific Northwest. The central Rockies float in the mid-twentieth century, with quiet midnight conditions.