Snow, ice and rain to create travel headaches in Midwest and Northeast
A coast-to-coast storm will bring a variety of weather hazards as it shifts eastward to the Midwest and Northeast late this week, AccuWeather meteorologists warn. Heavy rain and wind will be the most ubiquitous troublemakers, threatening a slew of travel delays, and the storm will also have a wintry side with the potential for heavy snow in some locations across the northern tier. In between the rain and snow areas, an icy mix could create slick conditions.
The upcoming storm will be much stronger than an early-week storm that brought spotty snow and a wintry mix to parts of the Ohio Valley, central Appalachians and coastal Northeast from Sunday to early Monday. Plus, it will tap into more moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean - enough so that severe weather will be a concern as the system rolls through across parts of the southern United States.
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Before causing its share of headaches across the central and eastern U.S., the storm system was wreaking havoc in California early this week, unleashing torrential rain, flooding, power outages and heavy mountain snow on Monday.
As the storm begins to push eastward across the Plains on Wednesday, areas of rain will first break out in portions of the central Plains and the middle Mississippi and Ohio valleys.
As that moisture pivots northward into progressively colder air during Wednesday night, pockets of sleet, freezing rain and snow will develop in northeastern Kansas and northern Missouri, as well as across portions of upstate New York and New England.
Areas in northern New England and adjacent areas in Ontario and Quebec, Canada, stand the best chance of receiving a significant amount of snow on the order of several inches to a foot or more (10-30 cm).
Enough snow or an icy mix can occur to make roads slippery for a time across interior parts of New England and parts of Pennsylvania and New York state later Wednesday night to Thursday morning, including along portions of the New York Thruway, I-87 and I-91.
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Temperatures may fluctuate throughout this event, and changes of 1-2 degrees Fahrenheit could account for vast differences in snow and ice accumulations -- and also play a role in how long wintry conditions persist in some locations.
One of several major cities and travel hubs forecasters will be keeping an eye on is Chicago.
"Since the storm is likely to slide to the south and east of Chicago, there may be just enough cold air to allow for periods of snow," AccuWeather Meteorologist Matt Benz said. But whether enough snow reached the Windy City to meaningfully accumulate is still a difficult question to answer.
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The storm is expected to track far enough south to spare Chicago from more than very light snow, with any chance for an inch or more being confined to the southern suburbs.
Roads could be slippery due to wintry conditions around the Midwest and Northeast.
The timing of potential snow and slippery conditions could play havoc with the evening rush hour and air travel in cities such as Kansas City, Detroit and Ottawa.
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As the storm continues to strengthen Thursday night, there will be an expanding area of moderate to heavy snow from northeastern Ontario through far northern New England into Friday morning.
Farther south, the storm will bring mostly rain to vast stretches of heavily traveled interstates, including I-80 and I-95.
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"This will be a rainstorm for the I-95 corridor Thursday night into early Friday with gusty winds," Anderson said. The combination of rain and wind can lead to many travel problems on the roads and delays at airports.
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A return of chilly air will be enough to bring some snow showers to a broad area from Michigan to the mountains of Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and western New York, regardless of any secondary storm forming, from Friday to Saturday. Motorists may encounter slippery conditions and poor visibility.
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