(CNN) — A powerful storm system hitting much of the US this weekend could pose a triple threat, with the possibility of severe storms and tornadoes, ice, snow and flooding.
Millions of people in the eastern half of the United States – in the Southeast, the Midwest, the Great Lakes region and the Northeast – could feel the effects, said CNN meteorologist Dave Hennen. Another storm system will bring heavy snow to the west.
In the eastern United States:
A potent multi-hazard storm is expected to affect a large portion of the U.S. this Friday through the weekend. The hazards include severe weather (top left), heavy rain/flooding (lower left), snow (top right) and ice (lower right). Here’s a look at Friday, January 10th. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/ZeUKQwXJQr
– National Weather Service (@NWS) January 9, 2020
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- More than 40 million people are under flood watch in parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, New York and Vermont.
- More than 25 million people are on a winter weather alert in parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine.
- And more than 20 million people are under a wind advisory in parts of Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, Kentucky and Indiana.
Here’s how regions could be affected:
Tornadoes and damaging winds in the south
Severe weather, possibly including tornadoes, damaging winds and hail, is forecast across much of the south on Friday and Saturday, Hennen said.
The risk of damaging wind gusts became even more apparent Thursday, prompting the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center to issue a moderate risk of severe weather, at level 4 out of 5, for parts of northwestern Louisiana. and a stretch of East Texas.
Residents of the Gulf Coast north of Missouri could be affected by severe weather Friday afternoon and during the evening hours. The biggest threat encompasses East Texas cities such as Dallas and Houston, as well as Shreveport, Louisiana, Hennen said.
“The storms will increase in the dark, with tornadoes after dark,” Hennen said. “Tornadoes at night are more than twice as deadly as those that occur during the day, and people don’t get warnings in time.”
On Saturday, the danger will change to cover much of the Southeast, including cities like New Orleans and Baton Rouge in Louisiana; Birmingham, Montgomery and Mobile in Alabama; and Atlanta
Residents in these regions should ‘make sure their smartphone weather notifications are turned on. Some of these storms will travel at 90 km / h, and they may only have minutes to react, “said CNN meteorologist Chad Myers.
Snow and ice in the Midwest
Cooler areas to the north could feel the effects of a significant snow and ice storm, which the National Weather Service in Chicago called a “high-power storm system.”
Parts of Illinois, southern Wisconsin and Michigan could see heavy snowfall as the storm moves eastward, with six inches of snow possible in some areas, Hennen said. Upstate New York and New England could also see snow.
A dangerous ice storm will form over the Great Lakes region, and widespread power outages are possible.
“We certainly have a complicated disaster on our hands,” said the National Weather Service in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
A flood threat from Texas to Michigan
More than 30 million people were under some type of flood watch Thursday from Texas to Michigan, including cities like Tulsa, Oklahoma; Little Rock, Arkansas; St. Louis, Missouri; Indianapolis, Indiana and Chicago.
Widespread rainfall between 3 and 15 centimeters is likely, Hennen said, anywhere from the southeast to the Ohio Valley and into the Great Lakes region.
Heavy snowfall in the Northwest
A different storm will bring heavy snowfall to the higher elevations in the Northwest, Hennen said.
Winter storm warnings were released for the Cascades and the northern Rockies, and the weather service is forecasting snowfalls of up to 60 centimeters. The threat there includes avalanche danger, and warnings were issued for certain parts of Idaho and Montana.
– CNN Meteorologist Robert Shackelford contributed to this report.
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