Northern New York, northern Vermont, northern New Hampshire and Maine stand to receive the most snow from the system, with 3 to 6 inches expected to accumulate.
The anatomy of a strong jet stream The jet stream crossing the United States over the next two weeks will sometimes blow at speeds of more than 200 mph — about 100 mph faster than average.
Jet stream winds are strongest during winter because this is when the temperature difference between the polar region and the tropics is largest.
The jet stream, enhanced by this temperature and pressure tug-of-war, will blow directly through the nation’s midsection, helping to strengthen the storms.
The western Gulf of Mexico also remains warmer than average, further amplifying the temperature gradient, and therefore the jet stream, across the United States.
Over the United States, it is going to get extremely stormy.
Northern states will be hit by two major winter storms this week and this weekend. Unlike previous storms this winter, both of these storms will bring significant amounts of freezing rain, and a third system may form the following week.
The first storm is expected to bring snow and ice to millions of people in over a dozen Midwest and Northeast states from Wednesday through Thursday. The second storm is expected to affect a similar region from Saturday through Sunday.
Schools will likely close due to the disruptive weather, and many major roads will see slower traffic. In certain states, power outages may result from tree branches and power lines collapsing under the weight of the ice. Strong winds will increase the likelihood of a power outage.
The jet stream—a narrow belt of powerful winds high above the ground that storms travel on—lies behind the erratic pattern. The significant temperature differential between the north and south of the United States will exacerbate it.
Wednesday through Thursday was the first storm.
Following its formation over the Midwest on Wednesday, the storm is expected to move into the Ohio Valley, Great Lakes, and Mid-Atlantic on Wednesday evening, before moving on to the Northeast on Thursday.
A lot of states, including northern Missouri, Iowa, northern Illinois, central and northern Indiana, southern Wisconsin, southern Michigan, Ohio, the eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, western Virginia, Maryland, Washington, and D.D.C., will see freezing rain, or rain that turns to ice when it comes into contact with a surface. Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.
In northern Missouri, freezing rain is expected to begin Wednesday morning. It is possible that the crucial boundary between rain and freezing rain lies close to or to the north of Kansas City, Missouri, and St. The Louis.
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Throughout the day, freezing rain is expected to move northward into Iowa, central and northern Indiana, and Illinois, with the possibility of reaching Chicago during the evening commute.
In addition to creating hazardous road and sidewalk conditions, the ice may result in flight delays or cancellations.
The rest of the day will see light snow blossom from North Dakota to Wisconsin.
Freezing rain will move into the Mid-Atlantic states, including southern Michigan and Ohio, on Wednesday evening. D.C to the Interstate 95 corridor early on Thursday. could occur in the icy mix, creating the conditions for dangerous travel to New York.
Cities like Frederick and Hagerstown, Maryland; Harrisburg, Altoona, and State College, Pennsylvania; and Elmira and Jamestown, New York, could experience the storm’s most significant ice amounts on Thursday. With wind gusts exceeding 20 mph, this is the area most likely to experience impacts like downed power lines and tree limbs.
“Travel could be nearly impossible,” according to a winter storm watch issued for portions of west-central Pennsylvania. “”.
On Thursday, as the storm moves north into New England, it will encounter cold enough air to sustain sleet and snow. Providence, Rhode Island; Boston and Worcester, Massachusetts; Hartford, Connecticut; Concord, New Hampshire; and Poughkeepsie and Albany, New York, will all be impacted by a wintry mix.
As it moves north, the storm will cause icy and snowy conditions on Interstates 81, 84, 88, 90, 91, and 93.
The areas most likely to receive snowfall from the system are northern New York, northern Vermont, northern New Hampshire, and Maine, where 3 to 6 inches are predicted to fall.
Conditions will be windy and cold as the storm moves into Atlantic Canada by Friday morning.
Saturday and Sunday are the second storm.
Over the weekend, a second, comparable storm is predicted to move across the Midwest and Northeast.
People in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, northern Illinois, northern Indiana, Michigan, northern Ohio, Maryland, Washington, and D.C should be aware of the possibility of more wintry precipitation, though it’s early and specifics could change. Delaware, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, and Maine.
On Saturday, a region of freezing rain could stretch from Iowa to the Mid-Atlantic, and snow accumulation could stretch from North Dakota to New York.
The storm is expected to move into New England on Saturday night and into early Sunday, with the potential for moderate to heavy snowfall.
Pennsylvania, New York, and portions of southern New England, which are also anticipated to be severely affected on Thursday, could see significant icing.
The structure of a powerful jet stream.
The jet stream that is moving across the United States over the next two weeks will occasionally blow at over 200 mph, which is roughly 100 mph faster than usual. This implies flights to D.C from Los Angeles. will speed up the process, but it will also allow more storms to form.
Orange regions indicate areas where the jet stream speed is expected to be stronger than average over the next two weeks, as shown in the animation above. That is almost universal.
Large volumes of moisture, which serve as storm fuel, will be brought into the nation from the Pacific Ocean with its assistance. Moisture from the impending storms will migrate southward from Canada into the United States through regions of cold, high pressure. Warmer and more humid air will rise above the cold air close to the ground, cooling and condensing into clouds that hold snow and ice.
Since the temperature differential between the polar and tropical regions is greatest during the winter, jet stream winds are at their strongest during this season.
In winter, the tropics stay warm while the polar region drastically cools.
There is a significant pressure differential in the upper atmosphere between the pole and the tropics as a result of this seasonal shift in temperature.
The speed of jet stream winds is proportional to the pressure gradient, which is the change in pressure over distance; the higher the pressure gradient, the faster the wind speed.
North Dakota may experience a minus-5 afternoon on Thursday, while some areas of Texas may experience 90 degrees.
Because of this tug-of-war between temperature and pressure, the jet stream will blow straight through the middle of the country, intensifying the storms.
Ocean waters that are warmer than usual may also be contributing to these atmospheric dynamics.
The strong jet stream and its moisture are coming from the Pacific north of Hawaii, which is still experiencing a widespread marine heat wave.
Additionally, the western Gulf of Mexico continues to be warmer than usual, which intensifies the temperature gradient and, consequently, the jet stream throughout the United States.
More storms could be fueled by the supercharged jet stream next week.