As the East Coast begins to recover from record rainfall and snow caused by the storm Finn, the respite will be short as another storm threatens the majority of the United States.
The upcoming storm will move across the country as areas are already under stress from the past few days of inclement weather. “Significant winter storms will track across the Lower 48 through this week,” the National Weather Service said in a bulletin issued on Jan. 8.
Blizzard conditions are occurring across the Midwest and Plains states, and winter storm warnings and advisories have been issued for areas in Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, Texas, New Mexico, and Ohio.
The National Weather Service notes that the storm, described as a “strong surface cyclone,” was intensifying across the Texas and Oklahoma panhandle regions on Jan. 8, the agency stated, noting that the system will deepen further as it reaches Missouri on Jan. 9, before “bottoming out in pressure across the Lower Great Lakes early Wednesday.”
Winter storm advisories were issued as well for parts of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, and California. The National Weather Service posted wind advisories and high wind warnings throughout the southern and eastern states.
The agency also noted that a strong winter storm may affect the Pacific Northwest, some western states, and the Cascade, Olympic, and Rocky Mountain areas, noting that high snow rates will occur. More than a foot of snow is possible in some areas, it noted. The storm will likely affect the northern Rocky Mountains “well into Tuesday,” according to the agency.
“Very cold air is expected behind the front by Tuesday and eventually Wednesday as the cold front surges through the northern Rockies, by Wednesday temperatures will be 10–25 degrees below normal for large portions of the West including further south into California, Utah, Arizona,” the agency stated.
The Epoch Times reports:
In the southern United States, forecasters warn that the storm currently looming for the Midwest and Plains will clash with warmer air from the Gulf of Mexico, sparking the risk of thunderstorms and severe weather across the Gulf states. It means that there could be multiple tornadoes, especially along the coastlines of Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, according to AccuWeather.
“A piece of robust energy will bring disruptive thunderstorms that can produce damaging winds, hail, and tornadoes to the Gulf Coast states. An inflow of moisture along the Gulf of Mexico from eastern Texas and southern Louisiana will aid in the development of thunderstorms across the region,” AccuWeather forecaster Alexander Duffus said in a recent report.
He noted that the system will “bring the potential for damaging winds, hail, and a strong tornado overnight in areas like New Orleans, Louisiana.”
“It is vital that people in southern Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama have methods to receive warnings on Monday night into Tuesday morning when storms are projected to ramp up,” Mr. Duffus said.
In the Northeast, strong winds and heavy rain will emerge starting on Jan. 9 and Jan. 10, according to forecasters. The winds combined with snowpack from the weekend storm could lead to downed trees and downed power lines, leading to widespread power and internet outages.
The rain combined with snow could result in hazardous flooding and rapid river rises, according to the National Weather Service.
“Warm overnight lows in the upper 40s are possible through the Mid-Atlantic by Wednesday morning,” the bulletin stated. “Additional snow is likely to be limited to highest terrain of the Adirondacks, Green, White, and Blue Ranges by Wednesday morning with the best chance of heavy/wet snow up to 6 to 9 inches into the terrain in Maine, where winter storm watches have been hoisted.
“The potential for areas of power outages are becoming likely given the high winds and precipitation totals.”
The Epoch Times also noted that storms in Alaska and Hawaii put both states under some type of weather alert on Jan. 8, according to the National Weather Service. The only state that wasn’t included in any weather-related warnings or advisories was North Dakota.
Rainfall in the southeast reached record levels early this past week, with some areas receiving a month’s worth of rain over just 12 hours. Flooding in coastal areas will not have completely receded before the predicted storms arrive, adding to the amount of water in the ground.
Many remember the historic flooding in South Carolina in the fall of 2016, known as the 100-year flood, as a stalled surface boundary off the coast combined with a slow-moving upper low west of the Carolinas and ample Atlantic moisture to create the unusual event.
Eyes are on unusual weather conditions as well as storms following each other closely and piling snow or rain on top of precipitation already accumulated by previous storms.
Nationwide effects of large continuous storm activity include schools, electricity, and the transportation of food by railway and trucks.