A significant winter storm commenced on Saturday in the central United States and is expected to progress toward the eastern regions over the upcoming days, bringing heavy snowfall, substantial ice accumulation, and extremely low temperatures as reported by the National Weather Service.
Here’s what you need to know about this storm, which promises to impact millions throughout the eastern two-thirds of the nation:
Major winter storm formation
A large weather system arrived along the West Coast on Friday afternoon, delivering rain to the Pacific Northwest and snow anticipated in the Cascade Mountains, as noted by meteorological experts.
This system is expected to initiate a major winter storm stretching from the Central Plains to the Mid-Atlantic throughout the weekend and into the early part of next week.
Snowfall forecast across the Central Plains
By Saturday evening, areas between central Kansas and Indiana were likely to experience widespread heavy snowfall, particularly along and north of Interstate 70, where there is a strong possibility of receiving at least 8 inches (20 centimeters) of snow.
Meteorologists indicated that for specific locations accustomed to heavy snow, this could be the most significant snowfall event in over a decade.
As the storm progresses, it will shift into the Ohio Valley, with severe travel disruptions anticipated, ultimately reaching the Mid-Atlantic states by Sunday into Monday.
Potential blizzard conditions
Blizzard conditions may emerge due to wind gusts surpassing 35 mph (56 kph) coupled with substantial snowfall rates, especially in Kansas and surrounding areas of the Central Plains by Sunday morning.
Whiteout conditions could render driving extremely perilous or nearly impossible, increasing the risk of motorists becoming stranded.
Freezing rain predictions for eastern Kansas and the Ozarks
Icy road conditions were already leading to traffic issues in Kansas on Saturday. Forecasters cautioned that sleet and freezing rain risks might extend into Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and large expanses of Kentucky and West Virginia.
Areas experiencing ice accumulation over a quarter-inch (half a centimeter) were likely to be affected by power outages.
“It’s going to be quite chaotic, a potential disaster,” remarked private meteorologist Ryan Maue.
Arctic air invasion reaching southern regions
Beginning Monday, individuals in the eastern two-thirds of the U.S. will face dangerously low temperatures and harsh wind chills, according to weather forecasters.
Temperatures could plummet to 12 to 25 degrees Fahrenheit (7 to 14 degrees Celsius) below the normal range, as frigid air moves southward from the high Arctic.
AccuWeather’s Director of Forecast Operations, Dan DePodwin, mentioned that these conditions could make January 2023 one of the coldest recorded in the U.S. since 2011, with extended periods of temperatures well below historical averages anticipated.
The most significant drop below normal is expected over the Ohio Valley, although this unusual cold is projected to reach down to the Gulf Coast, indicated Danny Barandiaran from the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center.
A hard freeze is even anticipated in Florida, as noted by Barandiaran.
“The wind chills are expected to be extreme,” cautioned Jennifer Francis, a climate scientist from the Woodwell Climate Research Institute. “Just because the world is warming doesn’t imply these cold spells will become extinct.”
Weather links to rapid Arctic warming
This brutal weather might be influenced partly by the rapid warming of the Arctic, highlighting how climate change can escalate weather extremes, according to Judah Cohen, the seasonal forecast director at Atmospheric and Environmental Research.
The polar vortex, which consists of ultra-cold air rotating above the North Pole, typically remains close to its origin, but it sometimes extends down to regions in the U.S., Europe, or Asia.
Cohen and associates have published numerous studies documenting an increase in the variability of the polar vortex. Recently, Cohen and others issued a study attributing recent cold spells partially to changes stemming from an Arctic warming four times faster than the global average.
