Heavy snow, freezing rain and temperatures as much as 35 degrees below seasonal averages are set to hit large parts of the continental United States as a string of storms confirm that winter is far from over.
Some 32 million people were under winter weather alerts overnight, with the heavy snow due for northern Kentucky into West Virginia, the Washington metro area and Maryland, as well as parts of the Ohio Valley and across the Mid-Atlantic.
The winter storm due to hit Tuesday is forecast to bring between 4 and 8 inches of snow, likely falling at 1 inch per hour, from northeast Kentucky to Virginia and the I-95 corridor — making Tuesday evening’s commute particularly dangerous for many.
As much as 10 inches of snow is possible in parts of Kansas, with large amounts expected along and north of the I-70.
The same storm is set to dump heavy rain across the South and Southeast, which could cause localized flooding.
In addition, freezing rain could mean as much as 0.5 inches of ice in the Appalachians from northern North Carolina into Virginia, bringing hazards for commuters and the possibility of power outages.
An Arctic blast of cold air will make temperatures 25 to 35 degrees below average across the Northern Rockies to the Upper Great Lakes and the Central High Plains, prompting an extreme cold weather warning, the National Weather Service said.
North Dakota could see it get as cold as —55 degrees Fahrenheit when the wind chill factor is added in, creating life-threatening conditions, the NWS warned.
And just as those are recovering from that winter onslaught, many of the same areas will be hit by another winter storm Wednesday into Thursday.
This second storm, which will be due on Wednesday, will bring more snow to the Midwest and Great Lakes as well as more rain and ice to the Mid-Atlantic. This low-pressure system is set to bring heavy rain and thunderstorms over the Lower Mississippi Valley and the wider Southeast into Thursday.
And a third storm is forecast to hit the Northeast this weekend, from the Midwest to the East Coast.
In Utah, there were stark warnings over the threat of avalanches, which have killed four people this year so far. Drew Hardesty, with the Utah Avalanche Center, told NBC affiliate KSL of Salt Lake City that a skier triggered an avalanche 200 feet wide on Monday on Mount Superior. No one was reported missing or injured.
“It’s been a very dangerous year. As of Saturday, that was our fourth avalanche fatality this year,” Hardesty said. “We average just a little over two. It’s been a very dangerous and unstable snowpack really since Thanksgiving.”
The West Coast is not spared from the cold snap: A storm system is set to arrive in California late Wednesday, producing rain and snow in higher areas. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is due to hold a news conference at 9 a.m. PT Tuesday, ahead of the storm.
