Major Winter Storm Impacts Central Plains Through the Mid-Atlantic

A winter storm has turned deadly after moving through a large part of the central U.S. and over into the mid-Atlantic region. Here is the latest on this monster winter weather maker that brought life to a halt in some parts of the country over the last few days.

Deadly Winter Storm Roars Through Plains and Into Mid-Atlantic Region

The blockbuster storm system that pushed through the central Plains on Sunday before arriving in the mid-Atlantic just in time for the Monday morning commute is now being blamed for three fatalities. Some of the hardest hit areas picked up 18 inches of snow out of the three-pronged system.

Over a dozen states were impacted by the storm that delivered a mix of snow, ice, and severe weather from Kansas and over to New Jersey. Several communities in the Plains states saw snowfall measurements that eclipsed a foot. At least eight cities from Kansas to West Virginia saw new daily snowfall records fall on Sunday. This includes the metro area of Kansas City, Missouri, setting its fourth-highest daily snowfall record when it hit 11 inches.

The state of Kansas was hit especially hard by the snow that was preceded by ice in some areas. Two fatalities were reported in Kansas and an additional death was confirmed in Missouri as a result of vehicle crashes.

Motorists were left stranded on Interstate 70 in Kansas as officials were forced to close down the major road due to snowy and icy conditions. Other state highways were closed throughout the day Sunday.

The line of snow and ice tracked to the east on Sunday, reaching parts of the Ohio Valley by the time that the sun went down. Cincinnati picked up 8.4 inches of snow, a measurement good enough to make it the snowiest calendar day dating back to February 4, 1998.

A number of other major cities experienced significant travel delays as the snow continued to fall at a fast clip. Travel hubs in places such as St. Louis, Indianapolis, and Louisville were all impacted by the inclement conditions.

Flight delays and cancellations continued to mount into Monday as the storm encompassed more areas. As of late Monday, there have been over 2,200 flight cancellations and more than 3,500 delays reported on Sunday and Monday. This degree of disruptions will have lingering ripple effects across the country in the days ahead.

Widespread power outages were also an issue with this storm, peaking late Monday morning at about 350,000. The greatest concentration of outages were throughout the Plains states. The number of outages began to go down as Monday progressed and crews were able to slowly restore power.

Mid-Atlantic Woke Up to Winter Wonderland

The flakes began to fly overnight on Sunday and into Monday across some areas of the mid-Atlantic. It was a rough morning commute for both Washington, D.C. and Baltimore with snowfall hitting measurements of 3 to 6 inches.

Moving farther to the south, portions of Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and North Carolina were battling freezing rain that iced over roadways and snapped tree branches. The heaviest bands of snow began to move off shore on Monday night, however, periods of light flurries lingered across the Ohio Valley and into the central Appalachians, reaching the Interstate 95 corridor at times.

Some communities will experience wintry precipitation that switches from snow to ice and then back to snow, creating hazardous conditions on the roads overnight Monday and into Tuesday. The combination of snow and ice also is more likely to bring down power lines and tree limbs.

Although the worst of the travel impacts has likely passed, the dicey road conditions will stick around for parts of the mid-Atlantic well into Tuesday. The mercury is expected to drop into the 20s, causing wet roadways to turn to ice again.

Cold Air Coming in Behind Storm System

The southern flank of the storm featured severe weather in a zone from eastern Texas through Mississippi. The warm and moist air flowing up from the Gulf of Mexico laid the groundwork for these storms to develop when the cold air to the north moved in this direction.

The mass of Arctic air will entrench itself over much of the eastern half of the U.S. this week, creeping as far south as the Gulf Coast and into Florida. When combined with the high winds, real feel readings were already below zero throughout much of Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa by Monday morning. Real feel readings hit the single digits in Missouri and Oklahoma at this time while much of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and western parts of Pennsylvania shivered with real feel readings hovering in the teens.

This wave of cold air will stick around for some time, sending energy demands soaring for millions of Americans. The dangerously low real feel readings will also raise the threat of power outages, rolling blackouts, and frozen pipes. The threat will be the highest in areas not accustomed to experiencing cold weather of this magnitude.

Meteorologists are warning that the lingering cold weather will translate to more chances of wintry weather later this week. A new winter storm is forecast to develop over Texas and track to the north and the east beginning on Thursday. This wintry precipitation could reach the mid-Atlantic and the Northeast by the weekend if the current forecast models hold.

In the short term, it will remain unseasonably cold for places such as Washington, D.C. The nation's capital will top out with a high in the mid 30s on Tuesday under mostly sunny skies. Winds will begin to pick up as the day progresses, hitting speeds of 20 to 30 mph out of the northwest. Some gusts could eclipse the 40-mph mark. Overnight lows will slide to about 23 degrees.

You can expect the mercury to struggle to break out of the low to mid 30s for the balance of the week in Washington, D.C. as more waves of cold air grip the region. Another shot of snow is a possibility heading into the weekend. Stay tuned as this forecast develops.

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