A very cold, dry airmass will grip much of the U.S. next week. Temperatures are predicted to reach well below normal in most areas. This has prompted Weather Service offices to issue winter weather alerts from coast to coast.
There are currently two separate storm systems that are hitting the country from both sides and plunging temperatures across the U.S. The storm systems will affect almost 100 million people as they move across the country.
Too much, too soon for some regions
The West, from Washington to California, has experienced several weeks of being battered by snow and heavy rainfall. The cumulative effect of all that precipitation will increase the threat of avalanches and river flooding in the region.
According to recent tweets from the Washington State Department of Transportation, “extreme weather has created conditions so hazardous that it’s too dangerous for our crews to be in the mountain pass areas. Because of that, Snoqualime, Stevens, White & Blewett passes will not reopen until at least Friday & possibly not until Saturday. Additionally, SR 14 and Oregon’s I-84 in the Columbia River Gorge, are also closed to freight traffic, with I-84 closed to ALL vehicles. This means cross-state travel is almost completely impossible.”
Although the snow and rainfall are helpful in mitigating drought conditions, too much precipitation in a short period of time can have adverse effects.
Southern snow may cause travel troubles
After a mild Christmas week across the southern United States, winter is trying to make a comeback in the New Year. The Weather Prediction Center said, “Today, a wave of low pressure is forecast to develop along the arctic front draped across the Deep South. The combination of snow and ice may cause hazardous road conditions through tonight in this region.”
North to receive more snow
The low-pressure system is expected to move away from the Mid-Atlantic coast and deepen offshore. Weather forecasters are expecting this weather phenomenon to cause accumulating snow to start spreading from the Mid-Atlantic into the Northeast.
The NWS office in Boston said, “The storm track for an approaching coastal low pressure system is beginning to become more clear. The storm track for an approaching coastal low pressure system is beginning to become more clear. At this time it appears as though this system will pass just south and east of the 40N/70W benchmark. This will support accumulating snowfall for almost all of southern New England.”
Learn more about the latest weather conditions in the video below.