A significant winter storm that will impact much of the eastern U.S. this weekend has started its sweep across the country, with heavy snow being reported in the Midwest as the storm barrels toward the South before making its way up the East Coast, leading to numerous school and business closings.
A major winter storm is expected to hit the eastern U.S. in the next few days.
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Several weather-related accidents, including one that shut down a portion of I 35 in Iowa, were caused by snow that began blanketing parts of Minnesota, Iowa and the Dakotas Friday.
There is a winter storm warning in effect for parts of Minnesota and Iowa, where the storm is expected to bring 10 inches of snow.
Winter storm watches are in effect for much of the mid-South tomorrow, with parts of western Tennessee getting around six inches of snow.
The Carolinas should start to feel impacts by Saturday evening, where there is a significant risk for freezing rain, which will continue into Sunday, while much of Appalachia will experience heavy snow.
Philadelphia and New York City could get less than a foot of snow before the storm moves into New England on Monday.
Washington, Baltimore, Atlanta, Charlotte, Kansas City and St. Louis are some of the large cities in the storm's path.
The National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center said that the Piedmont of the Carolinas could get damaging freezing rain.
The most dangerous impacts could be found in western North Carolina, northern Georgia and northwestern South Carolina. There could be widespread power outages due to the freezing rain. Roy Cooper signed a state of emergency Friday.
The key background.
The nation experienced its warmest December on record in December, and the fourth-warmest year in U.S. history, in 2021. The eastern part of the country had a mild winter before the recent cold snap, driven in part by a climate pattern called LaNina, which brings colder-than-normal weather to the west coast but warm conditions across much of the South and East. According to the Climate Prediction Center, the eastern US is expected to have cold temperatures through the end of January.
There is a structure called the Tangent.
Wind chills are expected to drop below -40 in New England and upstate New York Friday night.
The risk of Western wildfires is high due to the LaNina forms.
The schools and businesses were closed for the winter storm.
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