A powerful winter storm is set to blast portions of the U.s. with accumulating snow, cold temperatures, strong winds and rain just as millions of people across the country prepare to travel for Thanksgiving.
The first widespread winter storm of the season is the second in a pair of storms set to sweep across the U.S. this week.
The first storm system is already underway and producing severe weather across the southern Plains, including several Severe Thunderstorm Warnings and Tornado Warnings stretching across portions of Texas and Oklahoma.
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As it moves off to the north this week, arctic air will collide with the storm, setting the stage for widespread snow across the Dakotas and potentially into portions of Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Strong winds are expected to develop on the western side of the system on Tuesday, with wind gusts reaching 50-60 mph in the Dakotas.
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The FOX Forecast Center said that travel along Interstate 29 from Fargo, North Dakota to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Interstate 94 from Fargo to Bismarck, North Dakota, could be hazardous as the rain transitions to snow.
On Wednesday, cities like Minneapolis, as well as Green Bay and Milwaukee in Wisconsin will be on alert for the potential of snow showers throughout the day as colder air wraps around the storm system.
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The FOX Forecast Center says that the second storm could have a more widespread impact, especially as people plan on traveling ahead of Thanksgiving.
A powerful low pressure system is expected to form in the Ohio River Valley and Great Lakes region and will rapidly develop.
The FOX Forecast Center says that this new low will significantly intensify as it spins over the Great Lakes later this week, bringing the threat of high winds across the region into the eastern U.S.
As the storm drifts off into the mid-Atlantic and Northeast toward the end of the week, trailing winds are expected to bring in enough cold air to support a large band of snow somewhere in the Ohio River Valley.
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The coldest air will be on the southern side of the system and blow into the Appalachian Mountains.
It’s that area, the FOX Forecast Center said, that snowfall is possible across portions of the inland Ohio Valley, the northern mid-Atlantic, and the interior Northeast by the end of the week into the weekend.
However, forecasters say there is still substantial uncertainty about the amount of cold air available for snow.
There’s also the threat of lake-effect snow, but will be hit-or-miss depending on how the low pressure system tracks, the FOX Forecast Center added.
As it stands now, the air may be too warm to support lake-effect snow, but be sure to download the free FOX Weather app and enable notifications to be alerted to any changes in the forecast.
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The inclement weather at the end of the week and into the weekend across the Northeast does have the potential to snarl air and road travel just as the Thanksgiving travel week gets underway.
Rain in the Northeast could be heavy at times, but as of now the FOX Forecast Center doesn’t expect there to be flash flooding in the region due to the recent record-dry conditions.
However, it does bring much-needed rain to the region, which will help with the ongoing wildfire threat.
Original article source: Snow, rain to slam US as winter storms ramp up ahead of Thanksgiving travel
