POST Online Media Lite Edition



 

U.S.: Arrival of large arctic air mass, widespread hazardous travel from west to Great Lakes

Christian Fernsby |
The arrival of a large arctic air mass from Canada interacting with two energetic troughs/fronts forecast to move through the western half of the country will bring numerous weather hazards and highly anomalous temperatures coast-to-coast this week with almost all of the country experiencing some form of notable weather.

Article continues below




First of all, snow will spread south and eastward across the West followed by the northern tier of the country into Wednesday as a trough deepens over the West as embedded shortwave energy helps to push multiple frontal systems across the region.

Ample moisture associated with the Pacific fronts will combine with increasingly warm and moist air streaming in from the Gulf of Mexico, and then clash with the arctic air surging in from Canada to fuel heavy snow rates.

Snow totals of 1-2 feet, locally higher, are expected for most of the mountain ranges across the West.

The heavy accumulating snow should be limited to higher elevations in the mountains, with a lighter rain/snow mix for the interior valleys.

Moderate to locally heavy rain as well as some thunderstorms are forecast for the lower elevation/coastal Pacific Northwest Tuesday.

Snow will begin to mix in with the rain as temperatures cool Tuesday night into Wednesday, and there is even a chance to see some light snow in the central California valleys.

In addition to the snow, a deepening low pressure system over the Great Basin and multiple fronts pushing through the West will bring widespread very strong, gusty winds of 50-60 mph, locally as high as 80 mph in favorable terrain locations, to most of the West and adjacent High Plains through Wednesday.

These winds will lead to blizzard conditions for portions of the northern/central Rockies, and areas of blowing dust across the interior Southwest to the southern High Plains.

Meanwhile, an elevated risk of fire weather is forecast to continue for the southern High Plains through Wednesday in stark contrast with the snowy and bitterly cold weather to the north.

An axis of heavy snow will expand eastward across the northern Plains and into the upper Midwest/Great Lakes and interior Northeast/New England through Wednesday as a strong low pressure system consolidates in the lee of the Rockies and moves northeastward across the Plains then into Midwest.

Some locations across the Upper Midwest/Great Lakes will have only a very brief reprieve from a clipper system exiting the region before this next round of heavy snow moves in.

There is a high probability of snow totals over 8" front South Dakota eastward through southern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin, and the Upper Peninsula/northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan.

Locally higher totals of 1-2 feet are possible, particularly across southern Minnesota.

Heavy snow rates of 1-2" per hour and gusty winds producing areas of blowing snow will lead to treacherous, potentially impossible travel conditions and possible power outages.

By Thursday, much of central New England will see snow streaming in from the southwest as a low pressure wave develops along the slowing warm front across the Mid-Atlantic.

A zone of freezing rain and/or sleet can also be expected farther south toward southern New England before a slow tapering off trend sets in during the day on Thursday.

Snow totals of 12" or more are also likely for higher elevations in the Interior Northeast including the Adirondacks and the Green and White Mountains, with lighter accumulations of around 2-4 inches at lower elevations across upstate New York and central New England.

A heavy wintry mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain is expected along the southern end of the snow axis across the upper Mississippi Valley and into the lower Great Lakes.

Ice accumulations of 0.1-0.25", locally higher, are possible, especially across lower Great Lakes Wednesday into early Thursday.

Meanwhile, the upper Midwest should see snow and blustery conditions continuing as the center of the main low tracks across the lower Great Lakes.

Slow improvement of these conditions should gradually spread from west to east during the afternoon on Thursday.

Widespread showers and thunderstorms are forecast to develop near and north of the low pressure system's leading warm as a cold front transforms into a dry line structure across west of the Mississippi Valley late Tuesday night into Wednesday.

Intense low-level and upper-level dynamics as well as additional moisture streaming northward from the Gulf may lead to some locally heavy rain rates.

There is a Slight Risk of Excessive Rainfall (level 2/4) from northeast Missouri into northern Illinois, northern Indiana, and southern Michigan where there may be a few scattered instances of flash flooding.

It should be noted that uncertainty with the location of the warm front could shift the location where the heavier, convective rains transition to the heavy wintry mix expected just to the north.

Strong low-level, deep-layer shear and expected instability have also prompted a slight risk of severe weather (level 2/5) from the Storm Prediction Center from central Oklahoma northeastward through central Missouri for the chance of some damaging winds.

Besides the numerous weather hazards expected this week, another major story will be the significantly anomalous warm temperatures for February over the East and cold temperatures over the West.

Highs on Wednesday will be 20-30 degrees above average for many locations across the southern Plains, Midwest, and Southeast and 20-30 degrees below average over the northern/central Plains and much of the West.

Many record-tying/breaking highs can be expected particularly for the Ohio/Tennessee Valleys, where temperatures will be into the 70s, and closer to the Gulf Coast/Florida, where highs will be into the 80s.

Many record-tying/breaking minimum high temperatures will also be possible over the West, with highs in the 30s and 40s for the Pacific Northwest and in the 50s for California.

Bitterly cold wind chills 20-30 degrees below zero are expected for the Northern Plains.

These highly anomalous temperatures are forecast to continue later into the week.

Unsettled weather is forecast to continue spreading farther south down the West Coast on Thursday as additional upper-level energy digs southward off the coast.

Meanwhile, the Pacific Northwest will begin to clear out by then as the arctic air mass settles into the region with low temperatures dipping below freezing even at the coast.

California will see rain becoming more widespread during the day, with snow picking up in intensity over the mountains, including the Sierra Nevada.

Mixed rain and snow is also expected to reach into the higher elevations of the interior Southwest.


What to read next

U.S.: Powerful winter storm continues
U.S.: Hazardous weather expected early this upcoming week
U.S.: Hazardous holiday travel due to bitter cold and areas of heavy snow

Winter storm moving across U.S.

 
A hyperactive weather pattern will bring an expansive low pressure system across mainland U.S., resulting in widespread impactful weather to progress from west to east across the country through the next few days.
 
 

Latest

Baker Hughes reports U.S. rig count up 2 to 588
Massachusetts Governor Healey welcomes Jordan king
Attorney General coalition probing asset managers’ activity regarding Chinese investments
Amazon announces 1,000 new UK apprenticeship opportunities for 2025

NEWS

U.S.: Pacific storm will bring strong winds, heavy rain, and mountain snow

EPPO probes steel import tax fraud with searches in UK and Germany
Police investigate extensive data breach on Valio’s network
U.S.: Prolonged heavy rain and snowfall
Croatia: Investigation launched against 2 individuals and 1 company suspected of subsidy fraud
Latvia-Sweden subsea cable damaged in Baltic Sea
 

BUSINESS

Cable laying begins for Tyrrhenian Link interconnector in Italy

Construction of Serbia-Hungary oil pipeline to begin by end-2025
Six contractors set to bid for Stad ship tunnel in Norway
New Cebu International Container Port construction begins
Baltic States join the European continental electricity grid
U.S. drillers add oil and gas rigs to 586
 

Trending Now

Winter storm moving across U.S.

Massachusetts Governor Healey welcomes Jordan king

Baker Hughes reports U.S. rig count up 2 to 588

Novartis opens 40 mln euro plant in Slovenia


POLITICS

Trump raises aluminum tariffs to 25 pct, ends exemptions on steel and aluminum

Greece to protest Italian sale of aerospace giant Piaggio to Turkish drone manufacturer Baykar
South Africa raises national minimum wage to $1.55 per hour
Moldova announces tender for constructing wind, solar parks worth 200 mln euros
Denmark supports hydrogen pipeline to Germany with $1.1bn of subsidies
EU invests over €1.2 billion in cross-border infrastructure
 

Today We Recommend

Attorney General coalition probing asset managers’ activity regarding Chinese investments


Highlights 

Amazon announces 1,000 new UK apprenticeship opportunities for 2025

NIB provides loan to Tønder Biogas for one of Europe’s largest biogas facilities

bp and Iberdrola begin construction of Spain’s largest green hydrogen plant


COMPANIES

Novartis opens 40 mln euro plant in Slovenia

NIB provides loan to Tønder Biogas for one of Europe’s largest biogas facilities
Amadix to develop innovative diagnostic tests for early cancer detection
bp and Iberdrola begin construction of Spain’s largest green hydrogen plant
Cold-Link Logistics will create 123 new jobs in Robeson County, North Carolina
ArcelorMittal plans Alabama mill to produce electrical steel, will create 1,300+ jobs
 

CAREERS

Ruslan Pereira promoted to head of sales for Lindemann’s South American region

Nazeem Noordali appointed CEO of International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation
Inizio appoints Colin Stanley as chief commercial officer
Bridgewest Group names operating partner and general manager, Europe
Keith Hale named group CEO to Unite Titian Software & Labguru (BioData)
Solithor appoints new CEO
 

ECONOMY

U.S. becomes New Zealand's second largest export destination

Indonesia goes from $0.6 billion deficit to $5.9 billion surplus
Greece to repay $5.3 billion bailout debt early
Fraser Institute: Canada’s debt ranking falls from best in G7 to 7th worst
Kuwait reports $5.2 bln budget deficit in FY 2023-24
Eurozone reports modest Q1 GDP growth, stable annual inflation
 

EARNINGS

Ericsson Q2 sales down but North America up

Lockton revenue $3.55 billion
Motorcar Parts of America Q4 sales $189.5 million
Limoneira Q2 revenue $44.6 million
Lululemon athletica Q1 revenue increased 10% to $2.2 billion
PVH Q1 GAAP EBIT $205 million
 

OP-ED

Micromanaging is the worst enemy of efficiency and teamwork

Niger set to monetize massive gas reserves through Saharan natural gas pipeline
Putting the brakes on EV folly that choked the market
Oil discovery in Kavango Basin may mean huge benefits for Namibians
Cape Town and Dubai battle over Africa's energy future
Is America going to lose its superpower status?
 

AGRIFISH

Higher salmon volumes and U.S. growth resulted in record Norwegian seafood exports in January

U.S. resumes cattle and bison imports from Mexico under new protocol
Canada considers lowering tebuconazole residue limit on grapes, impacting U.S. imports
How expensive was agricultural land in Europe in 2023
Iran to import 50,000 tons of potatoes to stabilize prices amid rising food costs
JBS and partners donate 3 million tags to improve livestock traceability in Pará, Brazil
 

LEADERSHIP

Study: Missing a deadline has a bigger impact than you might think

Employers prefer younger job candidates for AI roles although experienced workers perform same or better
Study finds workers misjudge wage markets
Some organizations may need to expand their hierarchical structures earlier than others
Study finds there's right way and wrong way to deliver negative feedback in workplace
Allyship is critical and its needs appreciation
 

CRIME

Commission fines Pierre Cardin and its licensee Ahlers €5.7 million for restricting cross-border sales of clothing

BHP, Vale agree to pay $30B damages for Brazil dam disaster
Commission fines České dráhy and Österreichische Bundesbahnen €48.7 million over collusion to exclude common compe
SEC charges Keurig with making inaccurate statements regarding recyclability of K-Cup beverage pod
SEC charges John Deere with FCPA violations for subsidiary’s role in Thai bribery scheme
AG Bonta secures $3.9 million settlement with cryptocurrency company Robinhood
 

Magazine

TRAVEL

Radisson Hotel Group debuts in the heart of Tunisia’s capital city, Tunis

Morocco’s first Radisson branded hotel opens in Casablanca
Buna channels, an unreal and beautiful part of Bosnia and Herzegovina
JW Marriott unveils Mindful Haven with opening of JW Marriott Hotel Nairobi
Sotheby's Sports Week returns with fantastic artifacts
Red Roof properties open in Michigan
 

SEA, LAND, AIR

Citroën C3 Aircross, the most affordable compact SUV with 7 seats

2025 Chevrolet Equinox stands apart with fresh looks and capability
Hill Helicopters HX50, luxury in the sky
Opel Movano becomes fully equipped camper van
Porsche Panamera, new hybrid variants
Dodge Charger, 670 horsepower of electric
 

DESIGN

Cold night, hot fire pit, cool entertainment

Embellish your home with PVC panels
You'll have to hurry if you want one of 20 new Louis Vuitton watches
Luxury duvet looks good, fells good and keeps you healthy
Vacheron Constantin, watches for life and more
Schüller kitchens, where functionality marries design
 

GADGETS

MESA/Boogie Celebrates 40-year partnership with John Petrucci

reMarkable 2, monochrome tablet for your thoughts and your eyes
OnePlus Ace 3V, first with Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3
ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra, flagship with a reason
Samsung Galaxy S24 is photography powerhouse
Casette tapes are making a big comeback, and so are portable players
 

HEALTH

Human cases of anthrax reported in western Mongolia

One more barrier to developing vaccine for HIV removed
Rwanda begins world's first clinical trial for treatment of Marburg virus disease
Rwanda restricts gatherings amid Marburg virus outbreak, to begin trials of vaccine
Teksas Attorney General reaches settlement in first-of-its-kind healthcare generative AI investigation
Potentially deadly fungal disease spreading in California
 

MEANTIME

India launches space docking experiment mission

World-first carbon-14 diamond battery made
Einstein Telescope step closer
Exoplanet-hunting telescope to begin search for another Earth in 2026
India to build first phase of its own space station by 2028
Roscosmos chief approves schedule of creating Russian orbital station through 2033