A major winter storm is dumping oodles of heavy snow and dangerous icing from the central Plains into the Ohio Valley and west of the Appalachian Spine so far today. This dangerous winter concoction will spread eastbound into the Mid-Atlantic and parts of the Carolinas to begin the new work week.
A moisture-laden storm and trailing disturbance aloft will zip across the Mid-South overnight and offshore into the western Atlantic to begin the work week. A ribbon of moderate to heavy snow will spread east overnight and on Monday, cresting the Appalachian Spine into the Mid-Atlantic. Just south of the main ridiculous snow band will be a zone of potentially dangerous icing, which could be damaging near and to the north of Interstate 64 in Kentucky. A wintry mix will likely limit ice accretion farther east across Virginia near the Interstate 64 corridor.
Meanwhile, wind-whipped snow will gradually diminish from west-to-east across eastern Kansas and far western and northwestern Missouri this evening and predawn on Monday. Blizzard conditions, with the snow and wind combo, will reduce visibility to less than a quarter-mile at times, leading to very dangerous travel. Blizzard Warnings are in effect from near the Nebraska-Kansas border to northwestern Missouri, including Wichita and Topeka, Kan., and Kansas City and Chillicothe, Mo.
Widespread Winter Storm Warnings blanket most of the remainder of Missouri into Kentucky, central and southern Illinois-Indiana-Ohio, to as far east as the southern New Jersey to Delmarva Peninsula and Virginia Atlantic beaches through Monday and early Tuesday morning. Ice Storm Warnings and Winter Weather Advisories flank the northern and southern fringes of the warnings, which include far southern Nebraska and northeastern Oklahoma to southern Pennsylvania-New Jersey and northern and western North Carolina.
Interstates 35, 44, 55, 64, 69, 70, and the heavily-populated 95 corridor in the Mid-Atlantic will have very dangerous, if not impossible travel at times between tonight and early on Tuesday morning. St. Louis to Louisville and Lexington, Ky., Morgantown and Beckley, W. Va., and Richmond, Va., to Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Philadelphia will experience either snow or ice-covered roads. If you cannot avoid travel, it will be best to allow plenty of distance and time to reach your travel destination safely.
The heaviest snow is forecast to blanket northeastern Kansas to the Delmarva Peninsula and extreme southern New Jersey. Here, 6 to 12 inches locally will accumulate. Localized 12 to 18-inch amounts will not be out of the question across the higher terrain near the Blue Ridge and central Appalachian Spine. South of this impressive snow band will be accumulating ice, enough to down tree limbs and knock out power, especially from southern Indiana and northern Kentucky to western and southwestern Virginia. A tenth to one-third inch of ice with locally higher accretion will be possible here.
This winter-weather maker will also deliver gusty winds. Wind Advisories can be found scattered across the Plains and Mid-Atlantic, where wind gusts up to 45 to 55 mph will be possible.
It’s never too early to prepare for inclement weather. Simply having an emergency kit equipped with a weather radio, extra batteries, non-perishable food, water, clean clothes and blankets will go a long way in keeping your family safe, warm and protected.