Large Winter Storm Will Create Disruptions for Central and Eastern U.S.

A major winter storm is going to dump snow and ice in a zone that stretches almost 1,500 miles from the Plains and over to the East Coast starting this weekend. Here is what you need to know about this far-reaching weather maker that is likely to create travel disruptions for both air travelers and motorists.

Winter Weather Storm Could Deliver Snowfall Measured in Feet

A large part of the Plains, the Mississippi Valley, the Appalachians, and the Eastern Seaboard will be in the bullseye of this developing winter storm. The impacts are predicted to begin this weekend and linger into the early part of next week. In addition to the wintry precipitation, a blast of cold air at the tail end of the storm will send the mercury plummeting.

The upcoming storm system is going to be the first widespread winter event of the season for the central and eastern parts of the country. The timing will be unfortunate for travelers trying to get home after the holidays.

The most snow is predicted to pile up in an area from Nebraska and across into the southern and central portions of Ohio and into West Virginia. Widespread snowfall accumulations of 3 to 6 inches are in the forecast. Snow of 6 to 12 inches is in the forecast for northern Kansas and the southeastern corner of Nebraska with a narrow stretch expanding into southern Ohio across a large portion of the Interstate 70 corridor.

What Cities are in Line to Pick Up the Most Snow?

There are a number of major metropolitan areas under the gun for this heavy snow. Kansas City is forecast to see the flakes begin to fly late Saturday. The forecast is calling for about an inch of accumulation during the day Saturday, 3 to 5 inches of snow in store for the overnight hours, and another 5 to 8 inches of snow on Sunday. The snow will wrap up late Sunday but much colder temperatures are on the way. For example, Monday's high will top out at 13 degrees in Kansas City.

St. Louis will also see significant accumulation out of this system. It will take a bit longer for the snow to reach this part of the region, not likely coming down until after the sun goes down on Saturday. The precise amount of snow that falls across places such as St. Louis will be influenced by the potential of sleet and freezing rain. Should the moisture fall as snow for the duration of the event, the accumulations will trend much higher. As of now, it looks as if the Arch City will pick up 1 to 3 inches overnight Saturday with another 5 to 8 inches on the horizon for Sunday. The system will wrap up with an additional 1 to 3 inches overnight Sunday and into early Monday.

Moving farther to the east along Interstate 70, Indianapolis is expecting the snow to begin on Sunday afternoon. The city will see about 1 to 3 inches during this time with 3 to 5 inches in the forecast overnight and into Monday. Snow flurries may continue to whip around the metro area on Monday morning.

In areas to the south of the snow, ice will mix with sleet and freezing rain to create a mess on the roads. This includes the swath of land between Interstate 40 and up to near Interstate 70. Cities such as Tulsa could be in the middle of this mess.

There is also a chance that the area from southeastern Kansas and over to southern Missouri, the southern edges of Illinois, and central and southern Kentucky could be dealing with a damaging ice storm. The forecast models indicate that the ice may be thick enough to send trees and power lines falling to the ground.

The negative impacts of any potential power outages will be amplified by the arrival of the Arctic air expected to hit by the end of the weekend. This is a potential area of concern that will need to be monitored in the days ahead.