Winter weather warnings are in place for seven states as meteorologists predict an eastward-moving front will bring lake-effect snow to the lower Great Lakes and central Appalachian mountain range.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued snow and strong wind alerts for parts of California, Maryland, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and the Virginias, warning of difficult travel conditions, near-blizzard conditions in some places, and falling trees that could cause power outages.
In its latest forecast, the agency said that the energy of the weather system combined with cold air will aid snowfall over the northeast, while a series of fronts from the Pacific will bring the risk of excessive rainfall to the West Coast and locally heavy snow at higher elevations.
The expectation of lake-effect snow comes as a consequence of a "deep storm" that moved over the mid-Atlantic, bringing excessive rainfall on Monday.
Lake-effect snow is a phenomenon in which cold air from Canada picks up moisture from large bodies of water to produce precipitation. The region has already seen some lake-effect snow, and recently faced another bout of snow brought on by an Alberta Clipper system moving cold air down from Canada.
In West Virginia, up to three inches of snow is expected to accumulate in some areas, with wind gusts up to 40 miles an hour. The NWS warned that travel "could be very difficult to impossible" due to blowing snow that could "significantly" reduce visibility during the morning commute.
As much as nine inches of snow could accumulate in western parts of Greenbrier County, with winds up to 45 miles an hour. "Strong winds could also bring down tree branches as well as weak and dead trees resulting in scattered power outages," the NWS said.
In Garrett County, Maryland, up to a foot of snow could form on western slopes, with half that amount on eastern ones, with the risk of power outages due to wind gusts of up to 50 miles an hour. Higher elevations in parts of Pennsylvania could also see up to a foot of snow.
Several counties in Ohio bordering Lake Erie, including Cleveland, will see several inches of snow accumulation, while New York's Chautauqua County is set to see heavy snow, with accumulations of seven to 11 inches and "much lower amounts" near Lake Erie.
The NWS said that a front moving over the West Coast on Tuesday will dissipate by the evening, but will be followed by a second on Wednesday morning. Moisture associated with the two systems "will stream into the West Coast, producing rain over most of the area," it said.
Rain is expected to be moderate to heavy at times, with snow developing on the Sierra Nevada and Cascades mountain ranges. There is a risk of excessive rain over northern and central California on Wednesday, which "will create localized areas of flash flooding, affecting areas that experience rapid runoff with heavy rain," the NWS warned.
It said up to two feet of snow could accumulate on the Sierra Nevada mountains from Yosemite to Tulare County above 8,000 feet.
Western states have been subjected to a "prolific series" of atmospheric river storms from the Pacific, having experienced the effects of a similar weather front last winter. The NWS said "a plume of moisture" is anticipated to stream into southern California on Wednesday, bringing the risk of flash flooding.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
");jQuery(this).remove()}) jQuery('.start-slider').owlCarousel({loop:!1,margin:10,nav:!0,items:1}).on('changed.owl.carousel',function(event){var currentItem=event.item.index;var totalItems=event.item.count;if(currentItem===0){jQuery('.owl-prev').addClass('disabled')}else{jQuery('.owl-prev').removeClass('disabled')} if(currentItem===totalItems-1){jQuery('.owl-next').addClass('disabled')}else{jQuery('.owl-next').removeClass('disabled')}})}})})
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7r7HWrK6enZtjsLC5jrCgp6yVp3q0wM6rpGavkae7qrrGZm5mq6SWwaa%2FjKWYpJ1dmrOnscKtZKymn6x6coSUbG1qcQ%3D%3D