Two Winter Storms Impacting the U.S.

EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS

DEADLY WINTER STORM continues battering eastern U.S. while a second system begins impacting the West

The deadly ice storm has been described as the worst winter storm to strike the U.S. in years.

Texas governor declared a State of Disaster in 143 counties across the state on Thursday, due to “the imminent threat of disaster.”

States of Emergency were declared in Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Tennessee ahead of the ice storm.

Minnesota declared Snow Emergency in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Other cities also proclaimed emergencies including Crystal, West St. Paul, Plymouth, St. Paul, Robbinsdale, Mendota Heights, Bloomington, Minneapolis and St. Louis Park.

The storm has been battering much of the US, killing at least a dozen people, so far, including the mayor of Granby, Missouri, whose car skidded off an icy state highway and struck a tree on Thursday.

• The storm cut power to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses  in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana and Tennessee Thursday and Friday, and forced about 2,000 flight cancellation on Friday alone.

• The authorities closed thousands of schools from Texas to Wisconsin.

“Snow, sleet, freezing rain and heavy rainfall will continue to impact the eastern third of the U.S. through the weekend. Extremely cold temperatures will continue to settle into the western two-thirds of the country behind this storm system. In the meantime, a reinforcing shot of cold air is beginning to impact the West Coast as the next system approaches,”  said NWS.

Near Real-Time U.S. Composite Satellite Image. Recorded at 08:00UTC on December 7, 2013. (Source: SSEC/Wisc-Uni)

Multiple Warnings for Extreme Weather

Multiple Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Extreme Weather Events are in effect across the entire country. The warning include Winter Storm Warning,  High Wind Warning, Storm Warning, Flood Warning, Lake Effect Snow Warning, Gale Warning, Wind Chill Warning, Hard Freeze Warning and Freeze Warning, as of posting.

U.S. Weather Hazards Map (Hazmap)  for Friday, December 7, 2013. Source and Update: NWS/CRH. Hazmap enhanced by FIRE-EARTH Blog.

Selected Highlights from NWS Weather Forecast

• Freezing rain and sleet forecast from parts of the Lower Mississippi
  Valley to the Central Appalachians/Northern Mid-Atlantic

• Snow from the Middle Missouri Valley to the Upper Great Lakes and over parts of the Mid-Atlantic

• Heavy rain possible from the Lower Mississippi Valley to the Tennessee Valley

• Temperatures will plunge as much as 35 degrees below average from the High Plains to Great Lakes/Central Gulf

• A band of freezing rain/sleet will develop over parts of the Tennessee Valley and the Mid-Atlantic on Sunday.

• Snow will cover parts of the Ohio Valley on Sunday morning expanding into the Upper Great Lakes to the Northern Mid-Atlantic by Sunday evening.

A three-inch layer of ice and sleet will stay on roads in the Dallas-Fort Worth area through Sunday, forecasters said.

Recent Extreme Weather Events

• Major Winter Storm Battering Southern Plains through Ohio Valley December 6, 2013
• Major Winter Storm Affecting Much of the U.S. December 5, 2013
• Massive Winter Storm Engulfs Much of Western, Central and Northern U.S. December 4, 2013
• Massive Storm System Impacting Western and Central U.S. December 3, 2013
• Nor’easter Spawned by Deadly Thanksgiving Storm November 27, 2013
• Deadly Thanksgiving Storm Moves East November 26, 2013