2024-01-07 16:11:00
(CNN) — The next winter storm is already moving and is expected to bring heavy snow, blizzards, hurricane-force winds, possible tornadoes and severe flooding as it makes its way from the southwest to the northeastern United States through midweek.
The first big winter storm of the season continues to leave snow. It dumped more than a foot of snow in the Northeast and brought rain, snow, ice – and even the first tornado of the year – as it moved from the Gulf Coast to Maine.
With this system largely over on Sunday, attention turns to the next one. It is expected to quickly strengthen and become an exceptionally powerful January storm and produce significant and widespread impacts east of the Rockies starting Monday.
More than 10 million people are under a winter weather alert from California to Illinois. Millions more will be affected by the storm’s threats in its warm part.
Although it will be a fast-moving system, traveling more than 2,800 kilometers in 72 hours, it will produce notable snowfall in more than half a dozen states.
Widespread snow accumulations of at least 15 cm are expected from northern New Mexico to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Heavy snow and strong winds will create blizzard conditions this Sunday as the storm leaves Arizona and heads into the region. panhandle from Texas (the northernmost part of the state) and Oklahoma this Sunday night. Blizzard warnings had already been issued in Colorado and New Mexico this Sunday morning.
Snow fall: A model is predicting snowfall for the next storm starting Sunday morning. These snowfall totals might change or shift depending on the final track of the storm.
Poor visibility and difficult to nearly impossible driving conditions will set in for the Southwest this Sunday, the central and southern Plains this Monday, and the Midwest this Tuesday.
Strong winds will also bring wind chill values below zero degrees in some locations across the Plains.
Snow and cold temperatures won’t be the only concerns as the storm moves northeast, intensifies and expands its reach across much of the eastern half of the U.S. by midweek.
Flooding, damaging winds and even tornadoes will also be a concern.
Along the Gulf Coast, warm, moist air will fuel the threat of severe storms, including some strong tornadoes and damaging winds.
Severe storm threat
More than 15 million people are under threat of a strong storm this Monday from Texas to Florida. More than 35 million people are under the same threat level this Tuesday from the Florida Panhandle to the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
An equally serious concern is the potential for significant flooding due to the storm’s strong winds that carry water toward the coast and its powerful storm surges.
“Widespread and potentially significant riverine and flash flooding is likely from the central Gulf Coast to much of the eastern U.S. early this week,” the Weather Prediction Center said. “Powerful onshore winds will cause widespread coastal flooding along the eastern Gulf Coast and much of the Eastern Seaboard.”
Widespread precipitation totals of 1 to 3 inches are expected from the Gulf Coast to New England, with isolated spots exceeding 4 inches.
There is great concern regarding flooding in the Northeast with this next wave of rain coming just following the first storm saw more than 6 inches of snow fall in several Northeastern states.
Heavy rain will accelerate snowmelt and increase the amount of water running into waterways, raising the ceiling on flooding potential in these areas. As a result, there is a level 3 out of 4 risk of flooding in parts of New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania on Tuesday. The Level 2 of 4 threat extends across nearly the entire path of the first storm, from Georgia to Massachusetts.
Risk of heavy rain
A Level 3 or 4 flood risk was also established along the western coast of Louisiana to the panhandle of Florida, the northwestern region of the state, due to the potential for flooding derived from the initial round of rains this Monday.
The rain is both a gift and a concern for Louisiana and Mississippi as they both face severe droughts, although it has improved substantially since November following a recent glut of rain.
Towns along the Gulf Coast from New Orleans to Tallahassee, Florida, have been more than 4 inches above normal for precipitation since Dec. 1, so it won’t take much for the saturated ground is flooded.
Wind is another cause for concern when the soil is saturated. It makes trees more vulnerable to falling on power lines or houses. And the winds will be strong enough to cause such damage.
“Strong winds on the warm side of the storm might exceed 80 km/h and cause damage from the Appalachians to the East Coast,” according to the Weather Prediction Center. The center also warned people to “prepare for power outages” due to potentially damaging winds.
The strongest winds will occur closer to the coast.
High wind watches are likely to be issued in the next 24 hours, but the National Weather Service office in Boston said it may be necessary to issue hurricane-force wind watches – warnings of winds similar to those of a Category 1 hurricane – for the coastal areas if the worst storm forecasts came true.
The winds will also cause strong waves of 2 to 3 meters and significant beach erosion is possible. Dangerous rip currents are also likely and will continue at least until mid-week.
The storm system appears to end near the end of the week, but another storm looks like it might follow a similar path and impact some of the same areas later in the week and weekend.
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