Major snow, ice storm to affect more than 150 million people in southern, eastern US
A high-impact winter storm will spread snow and ice across more than two dozen states from Texas through the Carolinas and Massachusetts from Friday through the weekend. The amount and extent of snow and ice could cut power and disrupt travel for days, increasing the risk to lives and property.
So much snow and sleet may fall that roads could become clogged in areas ill-equipped to handle even a light coating of snow, let alone several inches, from the southern Plains to the Mississippi Valley. Schools and children’s care centers may be closed for days.
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In areas where a thick glaze of ice forms, scores of trees and power lines may come down, and removing ice from streets, highways, parking lots and sidewalks may be difficult or impossible, especially where ice-melting supplies are limited. Utility crews could be overwhelmed by the scope of the storm.
Some highways, secondary roads and streets may be impassable for days across large portions of Texas and Oklahoma, as well as heavily populated areas of Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia.
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During and after the storm, frigid conditions, with temperatures dropping into the 20s, teens and even the single digits Fahrenheit, may cause pipes to burst and lead to additional property damage.
Thousands of flights could be delayed or canceled. Some airports that experience significant ice buildup or heavy snow may be forced to close for a time.
A push of Arctic air from the north – in many cases, the coldest air of the winter so far – will determine the northern edge of the snow, the southern extent of the ice, and where a mix of snow and ice occurs. In some areas, the prolonged nature of the storm could result in snow, ice, or a combination of both lasting well beyond 24 hours.
Some areas in the southern part of the nation could experience their worst snow or ice storm in years. In portions of the Northeast, this could end up being the biggest storm of the winter so far, aside from localized lake-effect.
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A swath of snow heavy enough to shovel and plow is setting up from northeast New Mexico and northwest Texas through Kansas and northern Oklahoma to southeastern New York, New Jersey and central and southern New England.
Major metro areas in the path of the storm include Dallas, Austin, Oklahoma City, Nashville, Atlanta, Charlotte, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City and Boston.
Some locations on the colder side of the storm could receive 6 to 12 inches of snow or more, where sleet, rain or dry air is limited.
Motorists and airline passengers are advised to check the forecast at various points of their journey to avoid getting stranded in the storm, which is forecast to expand from the Plains to the Atlantic coast and to the north into portions of the Midwest and the interior Northeast.
On the southern edge of the storm, near the Gulf Coast and southern Atlantic Coast, a few thunderstorms may rumble, with the potential for localized severe weather, perhaps centered on Florida.
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