Mother Nature now increases the potential for a crippling ice storm and round heavy snow.
Winter storm watches are in effect for nearly 10 million people in more than half a dozen states from Arkansas to West Virginia.
“The front that brings all this cold air out of the Arctic also hits the eastern U.S. with a few winter thunderstorms before it’s all said and done,” says Michael Guy, CNN meteorologist.
A series of storms is forecast to hit the Midwest and Northeast this weekend, leaving another 6 to 12 inches of snow over parts of the Mid-Atlantic.
With a combination of sub-zero temperatures in northern cities like Chicago and 80 degree heat along the Gulf Coast, the elements are in place to develop a border in the eastern U.S. later this week.
Models suggest the possibility of another round of snow in cities such as Chicago, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh and New York, while significant ice accumulations are possible in parts of the middle of the Mississippi and Ohio valleys.
Paralyzing ice storm in progress
About half to three-quarters of an inch of ice can accumulate Wednesday and Thursday in cities like Springfield, Missouri; Evansville, Indiana; and Louisville, Kentucky, leading to difficult travel through the region, broken tree limbs and widespread power outages.
“This winter storm will be the one that could pose the greatest danger to humans,” says Guy. “The storm will develop by drawing moisture from the Gulf and a low point in the lower Mississippi Valley, with rain and storms along the Gulf Coast and freezing precipitation falling in parts of eastern Texas and Oklahoma.”
The ice storm is expected to begin late Tuesday, with a short break before the second round moves through Wednesday and Thursday.
There is still some uncertainty with the prediction about who will get the most ice buildup, but the entire region, from Arkansas to West Virginia, is threatened by ice.
States along the Gulf Coast will be on the warmer side of the storm system.
It will be too hot for ice and snow, but it will possibly be affected by showers and thunderstorms that develop by the middle of the week and will continue through the weekend.