Some 46 million people from the northern Rockies to the Northeast remain under winter weather alerts into the weekend, as two weather systems threaten to disrupt post-Thanksgiving travel with chilly temperatures, heavy snow and dangerous driving conditions.
Heavy lake-effect snow will continue across the Great Lakes region from Friday through early Saturday morning, with snow squalls bringing quick bursts of heavy snow and potential whiteout conditions for the interior Northeast on Friday, according to the National Weather Service.
More than 2,200 flights traveling to, from or within the U.S. were delayed as of Friday afternoon, according to flight tracking website FlightAware, with 50 flights canceled.
That storm already fueled rounds of heavy lake-effect snow across portions of the Plains and Great Lakes through Thanksgiving. As of early Friday morning, there were reports of snowfall as high as 22 inches in Presque Isle, Wisconsin; 21.5 inches in Alba, Michigan; 8.7 inches in Tupper Lake, New York; 8.1 inches in Chagrin Falls, Ohio; and 7 inches in Elgin, Pennsylvania.
Scattered snow showers will linger through the day Friday, with conditions slowly winding down Saturday morning, forecasters said.
The weather service forecast an additional snowfall of 1 to 3 inches, with the storm’s total snowfall reaching upward of 1 to 2 feet, with locally higher amounts possible. Some localized snow bands could lead to an additional 10 to 20 inches of snow downwind of lakes Erie and Ontario, forecasters said. Gusty winds up to 35 mph will also create difficult conditions for travelers.
A separate storm system was developing over the High Plains on Friday morning, bringing scattered snow showers from Montana through Nebraska. The storm will bring moderate to heavy snow and gusty winds in the region throughout the day.
The weather will intensify as it moves over the Plains on Friday night, blanketing the Midwest with snow and bringing heavy rain across the lower Mississippi Valley, creating hazardous travel conditions through Saturday for cities including Chicago; Minneapolis; Des Moines, Iowa; St. Louis; and Kansas City, Missouri.
Across the Midwest, including parts of Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, northern Indiana and Michigan, there will be dangerous and difficult travel conditions on Saturday due to high snowfall rates of up to 1 inch per hour, with 30 mph winds creating drifting and blowing snow, forecasters said.
There is also a marginal risk forecast for potential severe weather including damaging winds and large hail in parts of Texas including Dallas, Houston and Austin.
Rain showers and thunderstorms are forecast across the Southern Plains through the day Saturday, with some moderate to locally heavy rainfall expected closer to the western Gulf Coast, the weather service said.
Snow will persist over the Great Lakes and into parts of the Appalachians on Sunday morning as rain impacts the Southeast.
In the Northeast, accumulating snow is forecast to remain in the interior and parts of northern New England, while Boston, New York and Washington, D.C., will experience cold rain showers, with conditions clearing up by the Monday-morning commute.
