Storm Updates: Heavy snow in the Great Lakes and risk of flooding in the east

On the cold side of the storm, in the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes, winter storm and blizzard warnings extended from eastern Nebraska to Michigan late Friday, where the National Weather Service is warning of a “life-threatening” combination of dense snow, strong winds and strong winds. cold. Forecasters in Iowa described the storm as “rare,” writing that one of this magnitude only happens once every five to 10 years.

In the warm air on the south side of the storm, strong thunderstorms are covering the Southeast, an area that was hit by damaging winds and tornadoes a few days ago.

For the flooded East Coast, as with the storm earlier this week, heavy rain, strong winds and the potential for power outages and flooding are the main concerns and are expected Friday night into Saturday. Along the coasts of Maine and New Hampshire, strong winds are forecast to produce ocean surges of several feet on Saturday, resulting in the week's second round of historically significant coastal flooding.

In the wake of the storm, amid high winds and freezing air, a significant lake-effect snow event is expected particularly on Lake Erie.

• A winter storm warning has been posted for Buffalo starting Saturday and continuing through Monday. Accumulations of 1 to 3 feet are expected in the more persistent lake-effect bands, which could include the site of Sunday's scheduled NFL playoff game. Wind gusts of 65 mph are also a risk, especially on Saturday. “Travel will be very difficult to impossible,” the Met Office warned.
• Wet snow started early Friday morning in Chicago, with reports of thunderstorms. After snow mixes with rain through Friday afternoon, the worst conditions are expected Friday night, when heavy snow and gusts over 40 mph could create blizzard conditions.
  • A general 2 to 4 inches fell Friday across most of the Chicago metro area away from the lakeshore, and another 2 to 4 inches are possible.
• Because of the storm, more than 2,800 flights were canceled Friday, including more than 1,000 in Chicago.
• Almost all of Iowa is under blizzard warnings, along with the edges of surrounding states. Des Moines and Cedar Rapids, as well as Brookings and Sioux Falls, SD, are under blizzard warnings. Meteorologists refer to the conditions as “life threatening”.
  • Freezing temperatures continue to blow as strong winds blow snow and keep visibility below a quarter mile, with several locations in Iowa reporting zero visibility. Des Moines had seen gusts up to 35 mph since Friday afternoon. Fairly widespread gusts in excess of 40 mph have been seen in the western half of the state and eastern Nebraska.
  • Across the southern half of Iowa, 5 to 10 inches of snow was common by late Friday. Up to a foot has been reported in the southeastern part of the state. In southern Iowa, Interstate 63 was closed in both directions, while Interstate 3 east of Akron was impassable.
• Severe weather warnings were in effect for all 50 states early Friday, with more than 150 million people covered by wind warnings. A dozen states are fully integrated into wind warnings or stronger wind warnings.
• Storms that lashed Arkansas, Mississippi and northeast Louisiana overnight into Friday morning prompted several dozen reports of damaging winds. A less severe weather threat continues through Friday night from Georgia and Florida into the Carolinas, mostly due to wind damage, but an isolated tornado is possible.
• The coldest winter air sinks south in the storm's wake. Wind chills dropped as low as -60 in Montana Friday morning, and air temperatures dropped into the single digits as far south as southern Kansas and as far east as Minneapolis. Dangerously cold — with temperatures at least 30 degrees below normal — is expected in Denver, Des Moines, Minneapolis, Chicago, St. Louis, Oklahoma City and Dallas over the weekend and into early next week.

The Weather Service is warning of “major” impacts in Chicago and Milwaukee, an area where flurries of 6 to 12 inches of snow are possible, especially just inland from Lake Michigan and the non-lake zones of the Upper Peninsula.

Snow had spread northeast into northern Michigan by Friday afternoon, becoming extremely heavy at times overnight in northern areas, with snowfall rates exceeding 2 inches per hour. Thundersnow is also possible.

Further west, the snow is easing after hitting the corn belt amid strong winds. The snow will continue to produce a blizzard through Saturday morning.

Here's what to expect as the storm moves northeast:

• In Detroit, rain and snow arrived Friday afternoon, with an inch or two reported in parts of the area. Snow throughout Friday night as temperatures drop into the mid-20s. Total accumulations of 2 to 4 inches are expected and winds will gust up to 50 mph. A few additional snow showers are possible Saturday night into Sunday.
• Cleveland isn't looking at significant snow accumulations, but rather strong winds. Much of the region is under a high wind warning before dawn Sunday for winds that could gust up to 60 mph. Similar gusts could occur on Saturday. Scattered snow showers will continue at times as the work week begins, leading to only a gradual accumulation of an inch or two.
• In Buffalo, winds will pick up by Saturday night, with gusts as high as 60 to 65 mph. Buffalo will not be affected by the initial snowstorm, except for a few snow showers that will pick up north of the area, but will instead be affected by lake-induced snow that appears on the cold air blowing in back the low pressure parent system. So Saturday and Sunday could see significant accumulations of 1 to 3 feet in the most persistent bands.

Severe storms in the south

The storms reached a severe level and even prompted a few tornado warnings Thursday night in Arkansas. At one point, Little Rock was placed under a tornado warning, although it doesn't appear that anything touched down. Here's what to expect:

• Lower levels of instability – storm juice – were present Friday in the South, limiting the chances of severe weather. No watches were in effect late in the day as storms stretch from the Florida Panhandle to the western Carolinas, but isolated severe weather remains possible.
• The primary threat from any additional severe weather will be damaging wind gusts in a band from the Florida Panhandle, across southern and eastern Georgia, then through the eastern Carolinas.
• With saturated soils up and down the east coast, trees may topple more easily than normal. An isolated tornado cannot be ruled out, especially closer to the Gulf Coast.

Rain and wind in the east

• As the system's moisture reaches the East Coast, it will largely be too cool to produce strong storms, but too warm to produce snow. That's why 0.75 to 1.25 inches of rain is expected across the Mid-Atlantic, including Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia, with closer to 2 inches from New York to southern New England and Boston.
• Rainfall amounts won't be as productive as previous systems, but the latest storm dropped 2 to 4 inches and melted all the snow, leaving the ground saturated and susceptible to additional high water, prompting flood watches from Virginia to Maine and including of most major cities along the Interstate 95 corridor.
• Strong winds, meanwhile, will accompany the system and follow it, reaching 45 mph for most Mid-Atlantic cities and approaching 50 to 60 mph along the New England coastline. Wind warnings cover much of the area and some power outages are possible, especially Friday and Saturday night.

Coastal flooding along the east coast

• As winds drive ocean water toward the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast coasts, moderate to major coastal flooding is forecast Saturday – the second round this week. Water levels will generally be about 2 feet above normal at high tide, but could rise 3 to 4 feet above normal in coastal New Hampshire and Maine, resulting in severe coastal flooding.
  • Portland, Maine, which saw its third-highest water level on record early Wednesday and severe coastal flooding, is forecast to see a comparable tide on Saturday.
  • The National Weather Service office in Gray, Maine warns that “vehicles parked in vulnerable areas near the waterfront will likely be flooded.”
  • For south-facing Rhode Island coasts, minor coastal flooding is expected, affecting low-lying areas of Newport, Middletown and Portsmouth. “Many direct coastal roads will be impassable for a few hours at high tide,” wrote the Met Office, which also warned of minor beach erosion on Newport's south side.
  • In New York City and Connecticut and Long Island, a storm surge of 2 to 2.5 feet is expected on Saturday. “This would result in numerous road closures and widespread flooding of low-lying properties, including parking lots, parks, lawns and homes/businesses with basements near the waterfront,” the Weather Service wrote. Waves 4 to 8 feet high on the exposed shoreline could also cause erosion and damage.