Southern US braces for major winter storm: Dallas to Atlanta on alert
Another major winter storm is looming for the central and eastern United States that could bring snow and ice to areas much father south than the recent winter storm, threatening cities such as Dallas, Nashville and Atlanta before potentially turning toward the Northeast, AccuWeather meteorologists warn.
The upcoming winter storm will come together over Texas from Tuesday night to Thursday, where areas of snow, sleet, freezing rain and plain rain will gather. A preliminary piece of the storm was producing accumulating snow and travel delays around Denver on Tuesday.
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Exactly how quickly the storm comes together, tracks and gains strength will determine the magnitude of the snow and ice that extends from the I-20 and I-40 corridors from Texas and Oklahoma to Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, the Carolinas, and Virginia from late this week to this weekend.
Some snow will also extend farther to the north, west of the Appalachians to the I-70 corridor in the mid-Mississippi and Ohio Valley states. This northern part of the snow will occur in areas already hit hard by deep snow and a thick glaze of ice that cut the power to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses. However, the most disruptive portion of the new winter storm will occur farther to the south in the Central states.
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The impending storm could deliver more than a year's worth of snow to Dallas, where the historical average annual snowfall, which includes sleet, is 1.6 inches. "The upcoming storm is forecast to bring at least two to three times that amount in hours from Thursday to Friday," AccuWeather Meteorologist Emma Belsher stated.
"Should 6 inches of snow fall in Dallas it would be in the top-five snowfalls on record," AccuWeather Senior Director of Forecasting Operations Dan DePodwin said.
The storm later this week could be the biggest snowstorm since Feb. 11-12, 2010, when 12.5 inches of snow fell on Dallas.
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This will be a major winter storm for Dallas with 3-6 inches of snow in the forecast.
Even if a smaller amount of snow and ice accumulates, plunging temperatures will create a freeze-up, resulting in dangerous conditions, Belsher explained.
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The wintry situation farther to the east along the I-20 to I-40 corridors will be similar to northern Texas and Oklahoma from Friday to Saturday. Snow is much more likely along I-40, while an icy mix is most likely along I-20. This means that Nashville and most other places in Tennessee will be in the thick of a snowstorm from Friday to Friday night and road conditions will become hazardous due to slush and snow.
The setup around Atlanta may be somewhat similar to Dallas. More snow is expected north of the city, especially over the southern Appalachians, while mostly ice accumulates in downtown Atlanta and a mix of ice and rain south of the city, AccuWeather Meteorologist Jacob Hinson said.
The risk of a significant ice storm with the threat of widespread power outages is increasing for portions of northeastern Texas to northern Louisiana and southern Arkansas from the storm.
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Motorists along I-20 from Dallas to Birmingham, Alabama, and Atlanta, and the I-85 corridor from Atlanta to Greenville, South Carolina, Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina, and on to Richmond, Virginia, should be prepared for dangerous conditions spreading eastward from Friday to Saturday. There is the potential for multiple vehicle pileups in this zone. Extensive road closures are anticipated.
There are multiple scenarios for the storm as it swings past the Appalachians early this weekend.
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"These scenarios range from the storm continuing on nearly straight to the east with little (or no) snow reaching the central Appalachians and upper mid-Atlantic to a storm strengthening and turning northward with an extensive zone of major snow and ice reaching through the mid-Atlantic and into southeastern New England from Saturday to early Sunday," AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok said.
The conditions anticipated for the storm on the Atlantic coast are discussed in detail in a separate story.
Substantial travel problems will stem from the storm as it moves out from Texas and extends eastward toward the southern and mid-Atlantic coasts and northward to portions of the Midwest and the central Appalachians into this weekend. Expect major travel disruptions on the highways and a surge in airline delays and flight cancellations.
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Cold rain is forecast to fall along the I-10 corridor from Houston to New Orleans, Mobile, Alabama, and Tallahassee and Jacksonville, Florida. Should the storm shift its track farther to the south, then some icy or wintry mix could briefly encroach on the northern fringes of these cities as colder air sloshes in on the backside.
Arctic air is forecast to seep farther to the south in the storm's wake.
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Fresh snow cover over parts of the interior south will create a cold surface that will help push lower temperatures farther to the south than if the ground was bare. This means there is the potential for damaging freezes to penetrate into portions of South Texas, the central Gulf coast, and the Florida Peninsula this weekend to early next week.
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