Ice storm hits parts of US ahead of expected major thaw
An ice storm moving through parts of the United States on Monday is expected to cause serious travel disruptions across several major highways.
As of early Monday, 11 states from Texas to Michigan were on alert for ice, freezing rain and mixed precipitation that could create a nightmare for many commuters. The National Weather Service has issued ice storm warnings for Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri as well as a winter storm warning for Oklahoma, which is for ice rather than snow.
The storm system is forecast to sweep through the Heartland and the South in the morning, bringing freezing rain, sleet and heavy rain to Interstates 40, 35, 70, 80 and 90. The ice is expected to end in the South by the afternoon as warmer air moves in with heavy rain. But icy conditions are forecast to continue into the evening for the cities of Chicago, Illinois; Indianapolis, Indiana; Detroit, Michigan; and Cleveland, Ohio.
Ice and snow are forecast to move into the Northeast on Tuesday morning and continue throughout the afternoon from Erie, Pennsylvania; to Buffalo, New York; Albany, New York; Hartford, Connecticut; Boston, Massachusetts; and into Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Several inches of snow are expected to fall from Pennsylvania to New York's Hudson Valley and into New England, with a glaze of ice. Roads there could be slick during rush hour on Tuesday evening.
After the ice storm is over, rounds of heavy rain are forecast to pummel the South this week, with some areas getting up to a half a foot of rainfall from Texas to Mississippi, including the cities of Houston, Texas; New Orleans, Louisiana; and Jackson, Mississippi. Flash flooding and even severe weather with a chance of a few tornadoes will be possible along the Gulf Coast.
Meanwhile, a strong storm system is moving into the West with heavy rain for the entire coastline, especially California where the National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for Monday. Flood watches were in effect from the cities Sacramento to Anaheim and San Diego for up to 2 to 4 inches of rainfall.
Heavy, wet snow is in the forecast for the Sierra Nevada mountain range, where local snowfall amounts of 1 to 2 feet will be possible. The National Weather Service has issued an avalanche watch there for Monday.
The arctic air is set to depart areas east of the Rocky Mountains this week, with temperatures expected to reach well above normal from Kansas to New York. Temperatures could surpass 40 degrees Fahrenheit in Chicago, 60 in Nashville, Tennessee, and 50 in New York City.
Severe weather has claimed the lives of dozens of people across the U.S. this month, as brutal cold gripped much of the country. So far, there have been at least 72 weather-related deaths nationwide this January, with many involving hypothermia or road accidents, according to The Associated Press.