Snowfall and wind chill warnings in New York and New England as a result of heavy snow and blizzards on Saturday morning
The heavy snow is expected to persist through Saturday across New York and New England, including parts of Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire, forecasters at the National Weather Service said. A total of 5 million people are under winter weather warnings, including winter storm warnings, lake-effect snow warnings and winter weather advisories.
More than 30 million people are under wind chill alerts across much of the central and northwestern US, including in places slammed with blizzard conditions by a separate storm system last week. Parts of Alabama and Tennessee are also under a wind chill watch as the “feel like” temperatures are expected to plummet below zero.
“We are watching two different weather events right now – one producing rain and snow this morning for most of the state, and the other has the potential to bring several feet of snow in the Tug Hill Plateau and areas along Lake Erie and Lake Ontario,” said Jackie Bray, the commissioner of New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services.
Power lines may be knocked out by strong winds due to heavy snow falling last week in some areas. This will leave millions finding a way to stay warm as temperatures plummet to well below freezing.
Over 15,000 homes and businesses remained without power in Minnesota as of early Saturday morning, most of which are in the east-central part of the state.
Snowfall Over Michigan During the Super-Clean Wind During a First Day of the Minnesota Snow Event (Mumford, Fla.)
Police responded to crashes around the state and advised drivers to slow down. The roads were closed because of the storm.
The weather service said more than 19 inches of snow were recorded in LandGrove and Ludlow, during a 36-hour period.
Most heavy snowfall – a rate of 1 to 2 inches per hour – is expected to end Saturday night, with snow showers possibly persisting through Sunday. The weather service said there could be 2 feet of snow in Maine. The Northeast is expected to be clear of the storm by the end of the weekend.
The storm will be over the Great Lakes on Friday and continuing to produce heavy snow across much of the Midwest. Portions of Michigan could get more than a foot of snow by Friday, making travel impossible at times.
Up to two feet of snow can fall in areas near Buffalo, New York. The weather service noted that the snow bands are likely to be narrow and lead to sudden changes in conditions over short distances.
Northeast Regional Tornadoes and High-Cost Winds as Forecasted for Mid-Atmospheric Conditions in the Light of the National Weather Service
Several southern states received tornadoes earlier this week as a result of the storm system hitting the Northeast. Dozens of tornadoes were reported in Louisiana, Florida, Texas, Alabama, Georgia and Oklahoma since Tuesday.
Another tornado traveled through the town of Farmerville, according to the NWS. At least 20 people were injured as the tornado demolished parts of residential areas, according to Farmerville Police Detective Cade Nolan.
Overall, most of the US is expected to see abnormally cold temperatures this week. In fact, more than 80% of the country, excluding Hawaii and Alaska, are forecast to see below-freezing temperatures.
Places that will escape the snow, won’t escape the cold. Areas from eastern Montana through the Dakotas will experience the coldest air beginning Thursday morning. 40 degrees below normal will be running in these places. The combination of cold temperatures and windy conditions will send wind chills as low as 50 degrees below zero.
“With the kind of severe cold weather that is headed our way, frostbite can develop on exposed skin in under 30 minutes. Spending long periods of time outdoors in these conditions is not only harmful, it can be fatal,” Gov. Ned Lamont said.
Snowfall has already begun in Seattle, which is under a winter storm warning Tuesday. The storm will move east into portions of Idaho on Tuesday morning, before spreading across northern and central Montana in the afternoon.
A major winter storm and cold blast will impact nearly every state and bring what the National Weather Service is calling a “once in a generation type event” that will cripple travel on some of the busiest travel days of the year.
“Overall, concern continues to increase in the quick development of dangerous conditions Thursday afternoon with potentially significant impacts to the evening peak travel window,” warned the weather service office in Chicago.
The wind gusts of 40-50 mph are likely by Thursday. The weather service said that the fluffy snow in the area was likely to make for an area wide blizzard.
The weather service office in Chicago, which is home to the one of the nation’s busiest airports and long-distance train depots, said there would be rapidly deteriorated conditions by late Thursday afternoon.
The National Weather Service in Texas made it clear to residents that temperatures this week won’t be as bad as they were last year when millions of people lost power during an extreme weather event.
However, water pipes will be at risk of bursting, the weather service said. Amarillo, Texas is in a wind chill watch for the next few days.
The weather service in Fort Worth said that outdoor pipes will be at risk because of freezing temperatures and windy conditions late this week. “Make sure to cover pipes and let faucets drip!”
The number of people under winter alerts and wind chill alerts has grown to over 100 million people, or roughly a third of the US population, according to the National Weather Service.
Snow could fall as far south as Jackson, Mississippi, Memphis and Nashville in Tennessee and even Birmingham, Alabama, on Thursday. Nashville is expected to get an inch of snow, however other southern cities are unlikely to see much of it.
Denver will go from a high of 47 on Wednesday to a low of minus 14 on Thursday morning. The weather service says it would be the city’s hottest day in 32 years.
“Whiteout conditions are expected during that time with travel becoming very difficult or impossible,” said the weather service. If you are stranded with the wind chills in the 30 below to 45 below zero range, this event could be life threatening.
In order to make air travel safer, United, American, Delta, Southwest and Jet Blue have issued travel waivers at dozens of airports across the nation, because in addition to snowy roads and low visibility, air travel can be dangerous.
A New High-Temperature Storm and Its Expected to become a Heavy-Bomb Cyclone in the Great Lakes
Friday: The storm is expected to become a “bomb cyclone” Thursday evening into Friday. A bomb cyclone is when a storm rapidly intensifies – and drops 24 millibars (a term used to measure atmospheric pressure) in 24 hours.
The storm is expected to reach the pressure equivalent of a Category 3 hurricane as it reaches the Great Lakes, with the weather service describing the strength of the low a “once-in-a-generation” event.
“This will bring storm total ice accretions to over 0.5” for many locations which will raise the risk for significant tree damage and power outages, in addition to icy, dangerous roads. Sleet may also mix in at times with the freezing rain which will increase the chances for icing on the roadways,” the National Weather Service said.
By sunrise, the temperature is expected to be around 10 degrees below zero and gusty north winds will create a wind chill of around minus 25. The high-temperature tomorrow will likely not make it above zero degrees.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Wednesday declared a state of emergency due to the upcoming “historic low temperatures” across the state, with near zero or negative digit wind chills by midday on Friday.
The governor told reporters that the declaration will help ensure that essential supplies, like propane can be delivered for both commercial and residential needs.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear also declared a state of emergency, with wind gusts expected to reach 40 to 50 mph on Friday and minus 10 to minus 26 degrees wind chills expected on Saturday. Beshear asked residents to stay off roads and to have a backup heat source.
On Wednesday, Texas reported a third person had died during the storm after losing control of her truck on an icy road north of Eldorado. One person was killed in Austin in a 10-car pileup, and another person died after their car rolled over in the Dallas-area city of Arlington, officials said.
On the nature of the Cold Air-Conflict and Wind-Child outburst in the New England and Northern Hemisphere
The National Weather Service said that the outbreak is an “entirely novel” one. The air mass that descends on the area on Friday is the worst air in the Northern Hemisphere.
“Avoid any outdoor activities on Friday and Saturday! The New Hampshire Homeland Security and Emergency Management mentioned in a post on Facebook that the cold temperatures and wind chill could lead to life-threatening conditions outdoors.
Meanwhile, parts of northern New York and northern New England will feel like -35 to -50 degrees Fahrenheit with some locations experiencing wind chills as cold as 65 degrees below zero. It can take as little as five minutes for the cold to show up.