(CNN) — More than 50 million people are under a winter weather alert for snow or ice, which stretches from Texas to New Jersey.
“Two storm systems oscillating below a penetrating Arctic air mass will create a lot of winter weather hazards,” says the Center for Weather Prediction.
The biggest news will be the developing freezing storm that will spread from Arkansas to Kentucky. This could paralyze the main metropolitan areas for the next few days.
A freezing storm is building
Drizzle and ice have already started to fall in many of the areas under warning. This includes parts of the Dallas area and extends into Virginia.
This will continue for much of Wednesday, with more forecast on Thursday.
Freeze storm advisories are in effect for places like Little Rock, Arkansas; Memphis, Tennessee; and Lexington, Kentucky, where up to 1.3 cm of ice or more is expected. Ice accumulations of more than one cm can load more than 225 kg of weight on power lines and trees. Some areas have not experienced such bad ice conditions in years.
“This could be one of the worst weeks for winter weather in eastern Kentucky in more than a decade,” says the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Jackson, Kentucky.
“Significant amounts of ice build-up will make travel dangerous or impossible,” says the NWS. “Ice buildups and winds are likely to lead to broken power lines and downed tree limbs that increase the danger,” he adds.
Attention! These are the recommendations
The NWS also suggests that if you have to travel, keep an additional flashlight, food, and water in your vehicle in case you end up stranded on the road. People in these warning areas should also make sure they have enough food and warm blankets in case the power goes out for several days.
Significant ice storm expected for eastern Kentucky today through Friday morning. Tree damage, treacherous roads, and power outages all expected.#kywx pic.twitter.com/mNrXHxCp77
– NWS Jackson KY (@nwsjacksonky) February 10, 2021
While this particular configuration is perfect for ice to occur, the exact location of where most of the build-up will occur remains somewhat uncertain.
“Any small variation in temperature profiles will cause changes in the type of precipitation, which will then cause changes in ice accumulations,” says the NWS in Louisville. This could mean the difference between one city getting crippling amounts of ice and the next getting rain or snow.
“This weather setup is really an icy storm book situation,” says CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller.
“You have warm, spring-like temperatures in the mid-15s and even 20s Celsius in the southeast, while the freezing arctic air descends toward the central United States to meet warm air near the river Mississippi and the Ohio River. Where these two air masses meet, the warm air rises and the cooler air remains near the surface, resulting in precipitation that falls as rain, but freezes on the surface. ‘
A winter storm is likely to produce significant ice accumulation from portions of the mid-Mississippi Valley to the Ohio & Tennessee Valleys from tonight into Friday. pic.twitter.com/iGIV8pztJQ
— NWS Weather Prediction Center (@NWSWPC) February 9, 2021
Snow in the Mid-Atlantic
Another round of snow is also forecast for the Mid-Atlantic through Thursday, and then again on Friday. Places like the city of Washington and Philadelphia will likely have around 2 to 3 inches of snow, with higher amounts on the outskirts of the city.
Much higher amounts are expected in inland areas of Virginia and West Virginia. Portions of West Virginia, Virginia, and Pennsylvania could record 10-15 cm, especially at higher elevations.
It is very cold outside
The ice could hold over the weekend, with another blast of arctic air leaving Canada. Sixty million people will experience temperatures below 0 degrees Fahrenheit (17.7 degrees Celsius) in the next week. 75% of the population will experience temperatures below 0 degrees Celsius.
It may be the perfect time to snuggle up on Valentine’s Day, but a cold as intense as this will be dangerous, especially for those without electricity. “This means the possibility of power outages with extremely cold temperatures for several days,” says the NWS in Memphis.
More than 6 million people are on wind chill alerts from Montana to Michigan and south into Nebraska. Temperatures will plummet as cold air spreads across much of the country, with dozens of possible record lows on the plains and in the south.
Temperatures below 0 degrees Fahrenheit (17.7 degrees Celsius) will extend south into the Texas Mango late this weekend and early next week, with temperatures up to 10 degrees Celsius below average.
Jackson Dill contributed to this report.
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