There’s “no shortage of winter weather hazards” across the US Sunday morning, with more than 150 million Americans under weather warnings, watches or advisories, according to the Weather Prediction Center.
But there’s one particularly ferocious winter storm that’s taking aim at the South Central US, parts of which are still reeling from the deadly conditions a separate storm system created last week. And the worst part: it will be followed by another strong storm system that’s likely to hit Tuesday.
“For long-time residents of southeastern Texas, southern Oklahoma, northern Louisiana and southern Arkansas, this will likely be the worst week of winter weather in your lifetime so far,” CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam said.
The winter storm making its way into the region Sunday has put parts of southern Texas under winter storm watches for the “first time in a decade,” the prediction center said.
Heavy snowfall is forecast in areas from New Mexico to the Mississippi Valley Sunday, the center said, while ice will glaze over the Texas coast to the Tennessee Valley into Monday.
“The swath of accumulating ice and snow on Monday is impressive, stretching from south Texas to the northern Mid-Atlantic,” it added. “Heavy snow on Monday will also blanket much of the Lower Mississippi, the Ohio Valley, into the Northeast.”
How much snow?
Parts of central Oklahoma could see up to 12 inches of snow by Tuesday — with some areas possibly seeing more, according to the center. Areas from eastern Texas and the Ohio Valley all the way to the Northeast could meanwhile see up to eight inches. And up to half an inch of ice from the Lower Mississippi Valley to the Tennessee Valley could make for treacherous travel conditions, power outages and tree damage, the center added.
As ice accumulates, another storm takes aim
Last week, at least nine people died in car crashes in the wake of winter storms that brought freezing rain and ice across the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas.
Now, parts of the region are expected to see the worst ice-related impacts Monday, while another storm will be gaining strength to begin only a day and a half later.
“With two crippling storms in five days, some people in remote areas will struggle to cope as temperatures remain below freezing and snow and ice remain on roadways,” Van Dam said. “The cumulative potential economic impact for these regions cannot be overstated.”
“Long duration, brutally cold temperatures in combination with significant ice and heavy snow will put a strain on the energy sector not experienced in years,” he added.
Impacts from the second winter storm are likely to be felt through Thursday, while details on just how powerful it could be will become clearer in the coming days.
Ahead of the concerning weather conditions, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Saturday he would request a Federal Emergency Declaration from the White House to make resources available for the affected communities.
“Every part of the state will face freezing conditions over the coming days, and I urge all Texans to remain vigilant against the extremely harsh weather that is coming,” the governor said in a statement. “Stay off the roads, take conscious steps to conserve energy, and avoid dangerous practices like bringing generators indoors or heating homes with ovens or stovetops.”
140 temperature records could be shattered
And it won’t just be freezing this week — it will be so numbingly cold, that there will likely be more than 140 record-low temperatures shattered from Sunday morning through Tuesday morning, Van Dam said.
And more records could come by mid-week, he added.
More than 55 million people are already under wind chill alerts from North Dakota southward to Texas and from Indiana west to Montana, Van Dam said.
Wind chills will range from about -60 degrees Fahrenheit near the Canadian border to -20 degrees across central Texas, he added.
“This initial cold blast will last through Tuesday morning with another reinforcing shot of cold arctic air entrenching itself southward to the Gulf Coast by midweek,” Van Dam said.
In Northwest, more snow coming
As the South Central US is getting battered with cold weather, snow and ice, another storm will blanket parts of the Pacific Northwest and the Northern Rockies Sunday, Van Dam said.
Seattle already received more than a years’ worth of snow from a storm that cleared out late Saturday.
The city saw about 8.9 inches of snow Saturday, marking a tie for the 12th snowiest day in more than 125 years of records, according to the National Weather Service in Seattle.
“The last time Seattle had more than 8.9 inches of snow in a day was January 27, 1969,” the service wrote.
The storm moving in Sunday will likely drop about another one to two inches of snow before that transitions to rain in lower elevations.
Meanwhile up in the Cascades and the Northern Rockies, snow “will be measured in feet,” Van Dam said.
What this means for Covid-19 vaccines
Officials in parts of the country that will be impacted by severe weather have said vaccinations will also be affected.
Federal officials expect Covid-19 vaccine shipments to Texas will be delayed over the next week because of weather conditions, Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief W. Nim Kidd said.
“Our vaccines that are set to arrive on Sunday, Monday will probably not arrive until Wednesday, Thursday, so we will see delays in vaccine coming into the state,” Kidd said.
Some local outdoor vaccination sites have shut down ahead of the storm, the chief said.
“Indoor vaccination administration, as long as it is still safe to drive there, will continue,” Kidd added.
Meanwhile in Oregon, the mass Covid-19 vaccination site at the Oregon Convention Center will be closed Sunday due to the weather conditions, according to a tweet from Kaiser Permanente NW.
Those who had appointments will be contacted to reschedule, another tweet said.
The weather service’s Portland office said in a tweet Saturday that freezing rain in the northwestern parts of the state resulted in widespread power outages.
