Waves of winter weather are expected to sweep across the Eastern United States this week, with a wide region of the country from the Midwest to the Mid-Atlantic caught between frigid arctic air and warmer, moist air that could leave trees and roadways under a glaze of ice.
While light snowfall and patches of sleet are expected in some places, “freezing rain and ice accumulation are expected to be the predominant hazards, potentially leading to dangerous travel conditions,” Bob Oravec, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, warned.
The heaviest icing is forecast for western Maryland, northern West Virginia, and central and southern Pennsylvania, where ice accumulations exceeding a quarter of an inch may damage trees and lead to power outages. Ice storm warnings were in effect for these areas until noon Thursday.
Winter weather advisories also stretched over large portions of the Midwest, Appalachians and Northeast. The National Weather Service office in State College, Pa., predicted a long period of sleet transitioning to freezing rain into Thursday morning, with the greatest accumulations expected in the south-central and eastern part of the state. Eastern West Virginia, northernmost Virginia and northern Maryland also could get significant amounts of sleet.
Lighter amounts are expected across the Midwest, Great Lakes and northern Mid-Atlantic, but “it doesn’t take a lot of ice to cause problems,” Mr. Oravec warned.
A messy mix of wintry conditions was expected for Thursday’s morning commute. Freezing rain and sleet are likely to cause hazardous travel in and around Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Baltimore, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. Many major routes including Interstates 81, 80, 76, 70, 99 and 68 are expected to be affected by ice. Some snow or sleet is possible from New York to Boston, eventually turning into rain later in the day.
Though heavy snowfall is not anticipated, accumulations of up to a few inches are possible from North Dakota and central and northern Minnesota to upstate New York and northern New England.
Looking ahead to Friday and the weekend, another round of winter weather is set to affect some of these same areas — this time with “a better chance of heavy snow,” Mr. Oravec said. A new system developing in the south-central Plains is expected to bring snow to the Dakotas and Upper Midwest. As the system tracks northeast, moderate to heavy snowfall, ranging from four to six inches, is anticipated across the Great Lakes and Northeast by Saturday.
Chances for significant snow and sleet from that system are increasing in the northern Midwest and Northeast, with a high chance of plowable snow and sleet across Pennsylvania into the Northeast. Sleet and freezing rain are also expected across the Mid-Atlantic, New York and southern New England.
Farther south and southwest, rain will be more prevalent across the Ohio Valley and the central Appalachians. Multiple rounds of rainfall, driven by ongoing storm activity, may elevate the risk of flooding in parts of West Virginia on Saturday.
