The second half of the week is shaping up to be eventful for weather events.
The Northeast will soon find relief later this week from its ongoing drought, which caused several wildfires, though the welcome precipitation looks likely to turn into some less-welcome early snowfall. The snow is also predicted to make an appearance further west and south.
The presence of snow does not, however, mean other storms are not still a possibility for other regions of the U.S., as thunderstorms, damaging winds and multiple tornadoes may still make an appearance between Central Oklahoma and North Texas.
With the busy holiday travel season rapidly approaching, concerns about snowy conditions and slick roads already have some re-considering their plans. Here’s what we know about this week’s predicted snowfall.
Snow expected this week in Northeast, Midwest, Southwest
Accuweather meteorologists predicted a “major” storm brewing Monday that will bring wintery conditions to the Great Lakes region. Strong winds are expected to pick up in the area on Wednesday before expanding through the Midwest and Northeast.
Cold air produced by the storm will likely expand across New England, the Midwest and parts of the Southeast, bringing with it chances of snow.
The chilly air passing over the warm Great Lakes water will cause potentially heavy lake-effect snow. Snow is also likely in parts of the Ohio Valley and the central and southern Appalachians, according to Accuweather.
“This colder air should arrive in the Plains around Wednesday, then quickly spill over the rest of the South, lower Midwest and East Thursday,” meteorologist Jonathan Erdman said in a Weather.com report. “It will likely hang in through the weekend.”
The National Weather Service said Monday that up to a foot of snow is possible in higher elevation locations in the Cascades and northern Rockies. In much of California’s Central Valley, freeze warnings were already issued as of Monday morning, with warnings that the conditions could “kill crops, other sensitive vegetation and possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing.”
See weather forecast maps
Tuesday’s forecast.
Wednesday’s forecast.
Contributing: Doyle Rice, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Snow forecast this week: ‘Major Storm’ brewing over Great Lakes
