People walk through the snow in Brooklyn after an overnight storm on Saturday in New York City.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
An evolving cyclone system is currently driving a variety of intense weather patterns, including a significant winter storm predicted to impact the northern United States.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued warnings for heavy snowfall, blizzards, extreme cold, and powerful winds, which are expected to affect areas stretching from Montana to Maine, and Texas up to Pennsylvania.
According to the NWS, over eight million individuals were under winter storm warnings on Sunday afternoon, with nearly two million facing blizzard warnings. Meteorologists caution that a ‘bomb cyclone’ may rapidly develop over the Midwest and Great Lakes through Monday, spurred by an arctic front meeting warmer air. A bomb cyclone is a swiftly deepening low-pressure zone resulting in severe weather conditions.
“We are anticipating some pretty big snows over the next 24 hours, especially across east central Minnesota to northern Wisconsin to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. A lot of those places will have 6-12 inches,” NWS Lead Forecaster Bob Oravec told NPR on Sunday.
The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is expected to experience blizzard conditions causing near-zero visibility and potential power outages through Monday evening, as per the NWS Marquette. Forecasts predict snow accumulation of a foot or more in regions along Lake Superior, coupled with 40 to 65 mph winds.
Marquette Mayor Paul Schloegel assured NPR that the Marquette Board of Light & Power is ready to manage any power disruptions, prioritizing public safety. “We tend to heed the advice of our weather forecasters and prepare to hunker down as needed,” Schloegel wrote in an email, highlighting the commitment of local public works and MDOT crews in snow management.
Schloegel added that residents of Marquette appreciate the winter storms while taking necessary precautions. “We choose to live here for our love of [four] full seasons and appreciate the effect the greatest lake, Lake Superior, has on our climate,” he said.
Minnesota is also preparing for significant weather impacts, with blizzard and winter storm warnings in effect across much of the state. The Twin Cities could see up to 10 inches of snow, with potentially life-threatening travel conditions expected through early Monday morning, according to NWS.
The ‘bomb cyclone’ is also bringing frigid temperatures. In Havre, Montana, near the Canadian border, wind chills could plunge to 15 degrees below zero, with actual temperatures dipping to 2 degrees below zero by late Sunday.
Further south in Dallas, Texas, temperatures are set to fall from the 80s on Sunday to highs in the 40s on Monday, according to NWS forecasts.
In the Northeast, freezing rain poses travel challenges, with potential icing in northern New England and northern New York state from late Sunday into Monday. As colder air sweeps into New York City early in the week, leftover snow from the weekend storm is likely to freeze, creating additional hazardous travel conditions, Oravec noted.
This article was originally written by www.npr.org
