Blockbuster winter storm hitting East; snow and ice will create 'a mess'
Editor's note: This page reflects news from Tuesday, Feb. 11. For the latest updates on the snowstorm, please read Paste BN's coverage for Wednesday, Feb. 12.
ARLINGTON, Va. − Two powerful weather systems were careening across the nation Tuesday, threatening to dump up to a foot of snow in some areas while snarling traffic, shuttering schools and shutting down government offices.
The storms were racing across more than a dozen states from Missouri to Virginia and 200,000 square miles, AccuWeather said. In some locations, snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour could make it impossible for crews to keep roads open.
The first of two storms within 24 hours was targeting a stretch from Kentucky to New Jersey and Delaware with was expected to reach 3-6 inches of accumulation, AccuWeather said. But snow totals could hit 6 to 12 inches in Washington, D.C., parts of northern Virginia and eastern West Virginia, according to AccuWeather.
Snow was starting to accumulate by Tuesday evening in the Washington, D.C., area, making roads and sidewalks treacherous, and many more hours of snow were yet to come.
Weather Trader meteorologist Ryan Maue wrote on X that the snow combined with ice and freezing rain expected later would make "quite a mess."
Developments:
∎ Omaha, Nebraska, which until this week has seen only about an inch of snow this season, could get 3-7 inches, the weather service said. "We're ready!" Mayor Jean Stothert said in a Facebook post.
∎ In West Virginia, Transportation Department workers were "prepared to work around the clock even before the snow starts to fall,” said Jacob Bumgarner, chief engineer of special programs.
∎ Baltimore and Philadelphia were expected to receive 2-5 inches by Wednesday night, and rain will come in on Thursday. But the forecast for Friday, when Philadelphia honors the Super Bowl champion Eagles with a parade, called for bright sunshine.
∎ The Olathe Public Schools district in Kansas announced all of its buildings will be closed Wednesday due to the winter storm, which is expected to bring 4 to 7 inches of snow. The district serves about 28,500 students across 52 schools, according to federal data.
Nation's capital girds for storm
Many school districts around Washington, D.C., closed early Tuesday in anticipation of the snow, and more than 170 flights into and out of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport had been canceled even before the snow arrived.
Mayor Muriel Bowser declared a snow emergency for the city effective Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Bowser deployed the city's Snow Team, preparing 136 heavy plows including six- and 10-wheel dump trucks to treat highways, streets, bridges, ramps, and other elevated structures, and 82 light plows on pickups to treat smaller streets.
Bowser also said a cold weather emergency may be declared, which would provide additional services to protect residents from "life-threatening illness and injuries associated with severe cold weather." Outreach efforts would help vulnerable residents access shelters and other resources, she said.
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Federal government shuts down offices
The federal government shut down office buildings for hundreds of thousands of employees in the region, some of whom only recently returned to their offices. President Donald Trump signed an executive order last month requiring federal workers in the executive branch to return to in-person work. Many returned this week.
"All employees must depart no later than 2:00 PM, with option for unscheduled leave or unscheduled telework," the Office of Personnel Management announced on its website.
300+ car crashes in Virginia
Virginia State Police urged residents to stay off the roads during the storm and keep routes clear for emergency crews. In a statement to the Progress-Index, part of the Paste BN Network, state police said there were 305 crashes on Tuesday, and two dozen collisions caused injuries. No fatalities have been reported.
The Virginia National Guard said Tuesday it stationed about 65 troops at its facilities along I-95, Route 29 corridors, and in the southwestern part of the state to assist with storm response. Another 20 troops and members of the Virginia Defense Force were on duty in support roles, and Black Hawk helicopters were on standby for rescues.
In addition to the winter storm, the National Weather Service warned that rain on Wednesday night into Thursday could accumulate with melting snow and potentially flood parts of Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina.
Snow can be dry and fluffy or wet and heavy
Forecasters said the snow falling in the Mid-Atlantic is dry and fluffy to the north of Washington, D.C., but heavier and wetter to the south.
Why is this? Air temperature determines the kind of snow that falls – the powder that skiers love or the heavy, wet snow that's hard to shovel.
Wet snow occurs when the air temperature near the surface is above freezing, causing the snowflakes to partially melt before reaching the surface, CompuWeather said in an online report. "This causes the snowflakes to become sticky and easily adhere to and accumulate on nearly all outdoor surfaces," CompuWeather meteorologist Eric DeRoche said.
Dry snow is more common as it occurs when the surface air temperature is below freezing. "Unlike wet snow, dry snow is powdery and cannot easily be formed into snowballs or snowmen," DeRoche said. "In addition, colder air temperatures correlate to lighter and fluffier snow that contains less water per inch."
The weight of snow can vary dramatically: A cubic foot of dry, powdery snow might weigh 3 pounds, while a cubic foot of heavy, wet snow can weigh as much as 10 pounds.
Severe storms possible in South
Isolated strong to severe thunderstorms are possible from south Texas into parts of Mississippi and Alabama through Tuesday night, the Storm Prediction Center said, citing "the potential for isolated wind damage and perhaps a tornado." The chances for severe thunderstorms are greater on Wednesday, mainly across eastern Louisiana, central Mississippi, and western Alabama.
"The greatest threat from the thunderstorms will be for powerful wind gusts ranging from 55 to 65 mph," AccuWeather said. In addition, Wednesday's setup is more favorable for a few tornadoes across the region.
The risk of severe weather, including tornadoes in the Southern states, maybe even greater with a storm forecast to travel across the eastern half of the nation this weekend, AccuWeather said.
Wind chill could reach 50 degrees below zero
Some of the coldest winter air was spreading across the northern Plains Tuesday. People in Montana, the Dakotas, and Minnesota were enduring temperatures Tuesday morning in the minus 20s and minus 30s, Maue said. The National Weather Service in North Dakota warned that "life-threatening wind chills as low as 50 below zero could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes. If you must go outside, dress in layers including a hat, face mask, and gloves. Keep pets indoors as much as possible."
After a slight moderation in temperatures for Thursday, very cold temperatures and wind chills will return Valentine`s Day through the weekend, the weather service said. The cold air will then make its way across the country over the next week or so.
"Frigid air will surge south and east across the United States this weekend into next week," noted meteorologist Ben Noll on X.
Second storm to roll from Chicago to DC
That first storm fueled only flurries in Kansas City, Missouri, but a second winter storm was expected to slam the region Tuesday night through Wednesday night. Snowfall accumulations of 4-8 inches were forecast for some areas, and a glaze of ice was possible in others, the National Weather Service office in Kansas City posted on social media.
The weather service in Chicago warned of accumulating Wednesday that will "significantly impact the Wednesday PM commute."
The second storm will slide across the East, too, bringing snow, sleet and rain to Washington just hours after the first snowstorm. Before both storms are done, some areas around the nation's capital could see 6-11 inches of snow and up to a half-inch of ice, the National Weather Service said.
Flood watch in California as atmospheric river approaches
Southern California was on high alert for mudslides and landslides, and rain was in the forecast for the area starting Tuesday and lasting through Thursday. The National Weather Service said up to 3 inches of rain could fall in the Los Angeles area, where deadly wildfires last month destroyed thousands of homes and businesses and scorched thousands of acres of land.
"Flash flooding and debris flows caused by excessive rainfall are possible ... in and near numerous burn scars in much of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties," the National Weather Service warned. The heaviest rain was forecast for Thursday; the greatest risk was near the sites of the Eaton, Palisades, and Bridge fires, the weather service said in an advisory.
"Heavy rain over the burn scars could trigger life-threatening and damaging flooding and debris flows," the advisory said.