Wintry Disturbance Bisects U.S. Mid-Latitudes

A wintry disturbance brings icing and light snow from the central Plains today through the Northeast on Tuesday. 

Damp air from the Gulf will be siphoned northward today behind a sturdy Canadian high pressure system over the Great Lakes. The cooler air will act as a dense ramp for the warmer Gulf air over the central Plains, wringing out precipitation as the moisture compounds and overruns the cold layer. 

The cold slot of air at the surface will serve to further complicate the storm’s setup. In some areas, precipitation will melt and then refreeze as it dives through sub-freezing temperatures, forming corridors of sleet and notably freezing rain. 

This system and its features will slowly shift eastward as the Canadian high does, reaching the Lower Ohio Valley and central Appalachia overnight through Monday morning, the southern Mid-Atlantic Monday afternoon and night, and the Northeast on Tuesday. The Appalachian Mountains will enhance this cold slot effect, essentially damming the cold air east of its ridges and expanding the area of ice-related impact in parts of the Piedmont. However, warmer temperatures will continue to shove northward as the storm slides eastward, converting most wintry precipitation to rain before it exits and helping to thaw most icy accumulations.

By Tuesday morning, nuisance ice accumulations will have temporarily glazed areas from Kansas through North Carolina and the Alleghenies. Icing across these areas will generally remain below a tenth of an inch. Morning traffic could be impacted in the Lower Ohio Basin on Monday and across much of Appalachia and the near Piedmont on Tuesday. 

Snow accumulation through Tuesday morning will also be light, mostly leaving a slushy coating to inch across Lower Missouri Basin through Appalachia and the Mid-Atlantic into southern New England. Locally higher snowfall of 1 to 2 inches could pepper isolated slopes in central Appalachia.

So far, Winter Weather Advisories have been posted for portions of northwestern Kansas, far southeastern Nebraska, and northern Missouri, where the storm will begin to form this afternoon. 

Be sure to download the WeatherBug app to stay up to date on the latest on this changing weather. It’s never too early to have a supply kit packed in case of inclement weather. A simple kit including a weather radio, water, blankets, batteries, and non-perishable food items will go a long way in the event of a power outage. It’s always best to avoid traveling in rough weather as the roads will be dangerous.