(NewsNation) — Nearly 70 million people across the East Coast are facing severe weather Monday and Tuesday as a powerful storm tracks across the U.S.
The storm is expected to bring strong winds, possible strong tornadoes, serious flooding and will cover over 1,800 miles, producing notable snowfall across 14 states in 72 hours.
In its latest forecast, the National Weather Service said a snowstorm will develop over the central and southern Plains on Monday morning before moving into the Midwest into Tuesday.
“Bursts of heavy snow may accumulate up to two inches in an hour, and result in hazardous travel,” it said, warning of wet snow in the Northeast on Tuesday afternoon and a “ferocious blizzard” from New Mexico into Nebraska with winds as high as 70 miles per hour making travel “extremely dangerous to impossible.”
The NWS issued warnings for the following states, cautioning difficult travel conditions and possible whiteout conditions in certain places:
- Arizona
- Colorado
- Idaho
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- New Mexico
- Oregon
- South Dakota
- Utah
- Washington
This warmer storm comes less than three days after a storm that brought heavy snow to the Northeast.
“Initially, the storm is likely to bring a burst of heavy snow and perhaps a period of ice or wintry mix across parts of the central Appalachians and New England for a time on Tuesday,” AccuWeather senior meteorologist Dan Pydynkowski said.
“But, the most notable impact from the upcoming storm will be high winds and flooding rainfall,” he added.
Parts of the region could see one to three inches of rain from Tuesday to Wednesday. The heavy rainfall combined with a potential rapid melt of the snow on the ground could cause severe flooding from rivers and streams with little notice, Pydynkowski noted.
The NWS also says there is a chance of tornadoes in parts of the South heading into Tuesday. Severe thunderstorms hitting the Southeast are expected to produce strong wind gusts as part of the larger storm system.
