According to the NWS Weather Prediction Center, an active wintry pattern will continue to sweep across the Great Lakes and interior Northeast over the next two days.
Lake-enhanced snow showers will persist as one clipper system exits the region and another approaches on Friday. Light accumulation is expected downwind of the Upper Great Lakes and Lake Ontario.
Light snowfall is also likely in the northern plains.
The NWS warns that a lingering cold front could produce potentially dangerous snowstorms in the Inland Northeast today (Dec. 4), causing sudden whiteouts and hazardous travel.
Big mountain snow
A series of upper-level disturbances moving south across the western U.S. will produce significant snowfall in the Cascades and northern Rockies today, spreading into the central Rockies on Friday, the NWS Weather Prediction Center said.
Winter Storm watches are valid for 8-14 inches, with 2-3 feet possible at high elevations.
Mountain valleys can receive 3-6 inches.
A wintry mix is expected in nearby areas of the northern/central Great Basin and northern High Plains, while rain is expected in the Pacific Northwest.
Heavy rain on the Gulf Coast
A moist southerly flow ahead of the system moving toward the southern Plains and western Gulf is producing widespread precipitation this morning, the NWS Weather Prediction Center said.
Thunderstorms will cluster along a quasi-stationary front from the western to central Gulf Coast with moderate showers inland.
The system will move east southeast by Friday.
Locally heavy rainfall may lead to isolated flash flooding.
Further north, cooler air will support wintry precipitation from the southern Plains into the Ohio Valley, then into the central and southern Appalachians and the southern Mid-Atlantic Thursday night into Friday.
Winter weather advisories forecast 1-2 inches of snow and light ice.
Arctic air will challenge records for low temperatures
A fresh flurry of arctic air is expected to bring brutally cold temperatures to the Midwest today and spread into the northern Mid-Atlantic Ocean and New England by Friday morning, according to the NWS WPC.
Lows may dip into the negative single digits and teens across the Midwest, with single digits and teens for the northern Mid-Atlantic and New England – potentially approaching or breaking daily record lows.
High temperatures will remain well below average:
-Teens–20s in the Midwest
-20.–30. years in New England
-30-40 years from the central plains to the mid-Atlantic
-40s-50s years for Texas and the Southeast
The High Plains will see near normal to slightly above normal values due to decreasing winds. Much of the West will remain mild, 40s inland, 50s-60s. years along the coast and the 1960s and 1970s. years in the desert southwest.
The US West remains milder
The Four Corners region will see somewhat cooler highs in the 30s and 40s, but most of the West will remain at or above seasonal averages, the NWS WPC said.
AccuWeather warns of hazardous travel conditions
Snowstorms are expected to sweep across more than a dozen states from the Great Lakes to the Northeast between Wednesday night and Thursday, with AccuWeather forecasters warning that the fast-moving snow flurries could create extremely hazardous travel conditions.
According to AccuWeather, snowstorms are among the most dangerous winter hazards for motorists, especially on highways where visibility can suddenly drop to near zero. This week’s event could be one of the strongest and most widespread so far this season as an Arctic cold front moves through the region, coupled with the polar vortex’s southward shift.
Motorists unfamiliar with snow flurries may not be prepared for how quickly driving conditions can deteriorate. AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Duffus said “main highways and secondary roads can be covered in snow and visibility can be drastically reduced within seconds, creating slippery and dangerous driving conditions”.
Snow flurries are often accompanied by a rapid drop in temperature and a sudden freeze. Tire tracks can briefly melt the first flakes before the moisture refreezes into ice, creating extremely slippery sections. AccuWeather notes that when combined with drivers traveling at or above the speed limit, even small skids can escalate into a multi-vehicle collision.
Several major highways could be affected, including Interstates 70, 76, 78, 79, 80, 81, 87 and 90. Experts cited by AccuWeather advise that if travel cannot be avoided, reduced speeds on minor roads may be safer, and the best option is often to get off the highways and wait for the storm to pass.
Duffus also urged motorists to prepare for the dangerous cold. AccuWeather’s RealFeel temperatures for Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland and Pittsburgh are expected to drop into the teens or colder on Thursday. With the arrival of dry Arctic air Thursday night, the snowstorm is forecast to reduce to flurries, although patches of ice may persist on untreated surfaces.
Temperatures have already dropped into the single digits, 10s and 20s from the Plains to the Ohio Valley and interior Northeast. A similar winter is expected to reach the Interstate 95 corridor later this week, according to AccuWeather.
