With a winter storm hitting over the past weekend, a second winter storm is setting up across the country. As of today, February 1st, 2022, 21 states are gearing up for another winter storm and very cold temperatures.
Over 85 million people are under winter weather alerts. The warning is issued across the Rockies to New England - over 2,000 miles.
The largest impact of this storm is going to be in the South, where a crippling ice storm is bound to happen. You've also got places like Dallas and Memphis, Tennessee that could experience power outages, icy roads, and very cold temperatures too.
In the Midwest, that area is likely to see over a foot of snow, the largest snowfall in a century for some people.
Here is what you can expect in the following days.
Winter Storm Setting Up In The Rockies On Tuesday
By Tuesday, we'll see the storm setting up in the Rockies. That snowfall will begin that night and go all through Wednesday, disrupting groundhog day in that area with 15 to 20 inches of snow.
In the Midwest, they're going to have it worse as there is to be two rounds of winter weather. The National Weather Service office in Chicago stated in a tweet that round 1 will arrive Tuesday night and last through Wednesday as well - culminating in 8 to 12 inches of snow that'll make travelling difficult and dangerous.
The weather service office also said that the snowfall rates could be upwards of an inch per hour at times and that'll reduce visibility.
Then the second round will come through on Thursday. A total of 6 inches of snow to those same areas.
If these snow totals stack in the way that several models suggest, this will be a historic snowstorm on top of a dangerous one.
To put it into perspective, Fort Watne, Indiana is forecasted to have 18 inches of snow total during this snow storm. If that happens, that ties with the all-time snowfall record that was set from 1900.
Toledo could be facing the biggest snowfall in over 100 years. Toledo is forecasted to receive 16 inches, ranking second behind 20.2 inches in 1900.
Ice Storm In The South
Not every model is in agreement with how ice will be created though. As the storm is moving from the south and east - conditions will be shifting to icy rather than snowy and that storm could add significant amounts of ice accumulation for millions.
The Weather Prediction Center has said over a quarter of an inch of ice accumulation is likely to happen in Texas through to Ohio Valley.
Dallas to Memphis will be experiencing rain starting Wednesday evening which will then change to a wintry mix Thursday. Impacts from this though can still linger in the South and mid-South areas until Saturday or even Sunday.
The biggest hindrance of this storm would be the travelling on Thursday and Friday as the ice will be set in and high-rise overpasses will be notorious under those conditions. Also, a quarter-inch or more of ice on utility lines and trees also can lead to power outages and tree damage since winds will be around 30 mph.
This wintry mix will eventually become all snow for the area by Thursday so the area will have snow on top of a layer of ice. This will also cause the snow to 'stick' for several days. This is a result of the colder temperatures that will be around the area since there will be wind chills as low as 5 below zero for Thursday and Friday mornings.
These conditions make it dangerous, especially if you lose power over that period of time. The National Weather Service has also put together key messages for this winter storm in advance.
For most of Tennessee and Kentucky, ice is going to be the biggest player as it can easily cripple cities and disrupt travelling.
Memphis is also concerning as some models predict a tenth of an inch of ice or upwards of half an inch of ice. All of that is before the area is hit with 3 inches of rain that can lead to flooding followed immediately by that water turning quickly to ice on top of the snowfall afterwards.
Northeast Getting Blasted With Winter
The last stretch of this storm is in the Northeast and New England and they are in rough conditions.
First, they are still digging themselves out of the winter storm that happened recently. The upside to all this is that this new storm isn't as harsh or as impactful as that one. However, this new storm will be significant enough to disrupt travelling. Paired with the storm bringing more cold, the snow is going to linger around for longer.
There'll be rain in the Northeast and New England by Thursday evening with a possible changeover on Friday. Overall, that evening and all of Friday is going to be particularly messy.
There is still a lot of speculation on how much winter precipitation is going to happen in the area. However, it does look like the areas inland are going to be getting more winter weather compared to the coastal big cities.
This might change in the coming days as this prediction is based on the best guidance that there is right now.
What can be said for certain though is there will be cold air and temperatures are bound to fall during Friday, resulting in this weekend being very cold. The weather service office in New York City has said Friday will start in the lower 30s to lower 40s and by the end of the day, temperatures will in the upper 20s to 30s.
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