Record the heat in the freezing cold
After seeing the first city hit the 100-degree mark for the year on Monday in Killeen, Texas. temperatures will drop. FOX Weather tracks cold air.
A powerful storm that hit the West, dumping heavy snow on the mountains on Monday, moved east on Tuesday, where more than 55 million people in the Midwest and Great Lakes are on severe weather watch. The storm's journey will continue into Wednesday, when it will affect the eastern US with widespread rain and some snow.
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Blizzard warnings were issued in the Plains, Upper Midwest
The storm system is currently pummeling the northern Plains and Upper Midwest with heavy snow and strong winds, leading to blizzard warnings and strong words from officials not to travel due to blowing and drifting snow.
Blizzard warnings were issued for counties in both North Dakota and Minnesota and included cities such as Grand Forks and Fargo in North Dakota, as well as Crookston and Twin Valley in Minnesota.
The National Weather Service office in Grand Forks said a blizzard warning will continue until 6 p.m. CST on Tuesday due to additional snow accumulations of about 2 inches, as well as wind gusts up to 50 mph.
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The North Dakota Department of Transportation has issued a no travel advisory for Grand Forks, Fargo, Jamestown and Valley City due to the snow and near zero visibility.
Elsewhere in the storm, the NWS said travel should be limited to emergencies only. And, if travel is required, drivers should bring a winter survival kit in case the vehicle gets stuck.
Over 55 million on severe weather alert in Midwest, Great Lakes
There are more than 55 million people from the Midwest to the southern Great Lakes and Ohio Valley who will be at risk of seeing severe weather on Tuesday.
However, NOAA's Storm Prediction Center (SPC) updated its severe weather forecast Tuesday afternoon and now has more than 11 million people at Level 3 out of 5 on the 5-point storm danger scale.
This Level 3 risk includes two areas: northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin, as well as an area stretching from southeast Missouri to southwest Ohio, including Paducah and Louisville in Kentucky and Cincinnati.
SAFELITE LOOK FORWARD
“Strict stormsassociated with large hail, damaging gusts (wind) and tornadoes, some of which may be significant, will be possible late (Tuesday) afternoon through overnight across portions of the Ohio Valley and southern Great Lakes.” SPC said in its update.
Nearly 30 million people remain at Level 2 risk for severe storms, including Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis and Columbus.
St. Louis, which had been listed as a Level 2 threat, saw its chances of severe weather downgraded earlier Tuesday morning to a Level 1 threat.
NIGHT-TIME TORNADOES ARE MUCH MORE LIKELY TO BE DEADLY THAN DAYTIME
Widespread rain, some snow is expected in the east
The storm will continue to track east and begin affecting millions in the eastern US by midweek.
The FOX Forecast Center is expecting a lot precipitationincluding widespread rain and possible snow.
The FOX Forecast Center expects 1-2 inches of rain from parts of West Virginia to Pennsylvania in the Northeast, as well as parts of New England.
However, rainfall totals of 2-3 inches are possible in areas of southeastern Connecticut, Rhode Island and southern Massachusetts. Parts of coastal Maine could also see higher rainfall.
Snow is also possible in parts of western and central New York state, as well as northern New England.
The US is going from record temperatures to a bitter blast of cold air
As the coast-to-coast storm system sweeps across the US, there will be a noticeable and dramatic change in temperatures.
Hundreds of millions of people have been experiencing spring-like temperatures, but as the system moves through, temperatures are expected to drop by 50-60 degrees in a short period of time.
“If you do the math, that's about 6 to 8 degrees of temperature loss per hour,” said FOX Meteorologist Britta Merwin he said. “You notice it. You feel it. It's dramatic. We had record highs yesterday (Monday). We're going to have record highs today (Tuesday).”
For example, Kansas City, Missouri has a forecast high of 78 points on Tuesday. And as the cold front moves in, temperatures will plummet.
By Wednesday morning, temperatures could drop into the low teens.
