Winter storm trio threatens snow, ice, flooding in the US and debris flows in LA fire areas

CNN
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Winter weather has kicked into high gear in the United States and it’s not slowing down anytime soon.

Back-to-back winter storms slammed the northern and eastern US with snow and ice last week while heavy rain drenched California.

Three additional potent storms are on deck this week and the first two will hit some of the same areas in such quick succession that they will almost feel like one storm.

Here’s what to expect with each:

Storm one: Tuesday and Wednesday

The first storm of the week will develop in the Plains Monday night and quickly expand to reach the East Coast on Tuesday.

This storm will track farther south than either of last week’s and put some areas that avoided a wintry mess right in the thick of it. Parts of the Appalachians, mid-Atlantic and the southernmost parts of the Northeast will be hit with snow and freezing rain through at least Wednesday morning.

Ice will be the storm’s greatest hazard and dangerous amounts are likely in parts of the Appalachians. Totals could top 0.25 inches in parts of West Virginia, western Virginia and northwestern North Carolina.

“Ice accumulation on power lines and tree limbs may cause numerous power outages,” the National Weather Service in Blacksburg, Virginia, warned Monday.

Travel during and after the storm could be “nearly impossible” and any power outages “may last multiple days” in these areas, according to the NWS.

A band of snow will fall north of the area expected to get the worst ice Tuesday into Wednesday. Heavy snow could fall and pile up quickly in some areas, including Washington, DC. Up to 6 inches of snow is possible in the nation’s capital with the heaviest snow likely to start Tuesday evening and continue overnight. New snow will add onto an already impressive winter total to date. As much snow has fallen in Washington, DC, since December 1 as in the past two winters combined.

Snow will also blanket parts of Pennsylvania into New Jersey and southern New England. New York City will likely see an inch or two of snow.

On the warmer side of the storm, to the south, heavy rain is expected to drench the area. Heavy rainfall will bring a risk of flooding over a wide area of the South Tuesday and Wednesday: A level 2 of 4 risk is in place for parts of every state from Texas to the Carolinas — including many areas still recovering from Hurricane Helene — during this time, according to the Weather Prediction Center.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly issued a state of disaster emergency proclamation on Sunday due to incoming winter weather expected to hit the state Monday evening.

“As I did during past storms, I urge all Kansans to take measures to make sure their families are ready by making a home emergency kit and emergency plan,” she said.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin declared a state of emergency, and the Virginia Department of Transportation urged residents to “stay off the roads once the storm arrives as treacherous road conditions are expected to develop.” Several schools in the state are also closed Tuesday due to the incoming weather.

Storm two: Wednesday and Thursday

The next storm will form in the central US while its predecessor is still bringing snow and ice to the East and rain to the South. Snow, ice and rain are expected in the Plains overnight Tuesday into Wednesday morning. This wintry mess will quickly expand Wednesday to encompass much of the Midwest and parts of the Northeast by the evening.

The bulk of the storm will be on the East Coast by Thursday morning with snow and ice blanketing the Northeast and rain falling farther south. Some parts of the East will only have a few hours between when the first storm ends and the second begins.

Snow totals from this storm will be highest in the Plains and Midwest. They could approach double digits in Kansas City, Missouri, on Wednesday – close to double what the city typically gets in all of February.

Double-digit snow is also possible in Chicago Wednesday, which would be enough to be the city’s most substantial so far this season. Just over 7 inches of snow have fallen since December when the city typically records almost two feet by now.

Ice will present a significant problem again just south of where the heaviest snow falls. At least a light glaze of ice — enough to make travel tricky — is possible anywhere from Oklahoma and Kansas through the Ohio Valley and Northeast.

Parts of the Appalachians will get another round of ice from this storm. A few of the locations hit hardest from the first storm might not notice a break between the two storms as icy precipitation slows but doesn’t completely stop Wednesday afternoon.

The storm will largely come to an end by Thursday night.

This storm will be different than the previous two in that it will first slam into California fully formed. It also presents most serious flood threat Southern California has faced since January’s devastating wildfires.

The atmospheric river-fueled storm will pack a significant punch and from the start with rain beginning along much of the state’s coast early Thursday morning. Rain will get heavier throughout the day as it reaches farther inland and spreads over the entire length of the state.

More than 34 million people in California are under a level 2 of 4 risk of flooding rainfall Thursday, according to the WPC. The threat area encompasses San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles and areas in between.

Heavy rain presents an even greater risk to areas burned by recent deadly wildfires.

“This storm has the potential to bring life threatening debris flows in and below recent burn scars,” the NWS in Los Angeles warned Monday. An inch or two of rain is possible over the Los Angeles basin.

This storm will also bring heavy snow to California’s Sierra Nevada and mountainous areas of the West. It will track east Thursday night and Friday and reach the Plains by early Saturday morning.

A boost of atmospheric energy will reinvigorate the potent storm and significantly expand its size once it reaches the central US. Snow will blast over the Midwest Saturday and reach much of the Northeast by the evening. Some sleet and ice may mix with snow in the Northeast with mainly rain drenching areas farther south Saturday night.

Heavy rain and thunderstorms will dominate the warm side of this storm. Some thunderstorms could become severe, especially in parts of the South. Dangerous thunderstorms can happen at any time of the year – some turned deadly last week in Tennessee.

The large storm will continue to pound the East Coast Sunday before coming to an end by Monday morning. But it may not be the end of a busy winter storm pattern as another storm is possible by the middle of next week.