Winter storm and bitter cold could disrupt holiday travel

A powerful winter storm is expected to develop and move across parts of the Midwest, central Appalachians, eastern Great Lakes, mid-Atlantic and Northeast this week, bringing a mix of strong winds, rain and snow, including blizzard conditions, that could make travel dangerous leading up to the holiday weekend, the National Weather Service said.

A bitterly cold Christmas also is in store for vast sections of the central and eastern U.S. as a blast of arctic air is expected to sweep in late in the week, sending temperatures plunging far below their late December averages, forecasters said.

“The tandem of bitterly cold temperatures and an intensifying storm system over the Rockies and central Plains by midweek, will mean treacherous travel for many locations along and east of the Rockies,” the weather service said, adding that anyone in those regions should closely monitor the forecast.

In the northern Plains and upper Midwest, temperatures could dip into the negative teens by Christmas Eve and the following days, according to the service. It said subzero temperatures could reach as far south as the central Plains, while temperatures in the single digits were expected in the stretch from the Northeast to the Ohio Valley and up to the Great Lakes.

Below-freezing temperatures are forecast even for parts of southern Texas, the Gulf Coast and Florida over the weekend and into next week, the service said. Low temperatures along parts of the Gulf Coast could drop into the teens and low 20s.

The arctic air will dip so far south that it won’t feel like the tropics in Florida this Christmas, with lows falling into the 30s and 40s over the weekend.

“For some folks, it could be one of the coldest Christmases in a while,” said Zackary Taylor, a senior meteorologist with the Weather Prediction Center.

“The cold air spilling southward is certainly some of the coldest air we’ve seen so far this winter and there is the potential there for some record low temperatures,” he said, adding that temperatures across much of the eastern two-thirds of the country were expected to drop as much as 30 degrees below normal for this time of year.

Nearly 40 locations across the United States are forecast to plummet to record-breaking daily cold temperatures Thursday and Friday.

The cold air mass is expected to begin its surge southward by the middle of the week, sweeping from the northern Rocky Mountains toward the eastern part of the country.

Every state in the country, if you count the summits in Hawaii, is expected to get below-freezing temperatures Christmas Eve, said Alex Lamers, the warning coordination meteorologist with the Weather Prediction Center.

When the cold mass begins to move through, it is going to arrive really fast. The temperature “could drop several dozen degrees in a matter of a few hours, like 30 degrees or so,” Lamers said.

Along the leading edge of the cold air mass, a winter storm will rapidly intensify across the Midwest and into the Great Lakes.

“The system is going to be pretty strong and pretty dynamic, such that it’s going to create some hazardous weather conditions and probably travel disruptions,” Taylor said.

It will produce not only heavy snow in the Midwest and Great Lakes but also relentless winds leading to blizzard conditions in places such as Chicago and Milwaukee.

It’s a stronger-than-normal storm system for the Great Lakes, Lamers said.

Blizzard conditions will most likely be contained to the Midwest, “but folks should stay tuned,” Lamers said.

Blizzards like this one can have a serious impact on travel, and even just getting around outside can be treacherous because of the strong winds.

United Airlines, which has a hub in Chicago, said that it had already issued waivers to passengers traveling to or from any affected airports Wednesday through Friday. It isn’t just air travel that could be an issue; the weather will also have a significant impact on ground-level travel.

“You don’t want to get yourself in a situation where you’re stuck and having to deal with the kind of cold that we’re talking about,” Lamers said.

While the bitter cold will have a broader impact, “the snow and wind is going to be pretty significant where it does occur,” said Marc Chenard, a meteorologist with the Weather Prediction Center.

Clearing the roads of snow under such conditions could prove challenging. “It’s going to be so cold, it’s not going to melt,” he said.

How much snow falls, and where, will depend on where the center of the storm develops and intensifies.

Something else forecasters are watching for is a flash freeze. With the speed of the cold air moving in, if any area receives rain ahead of it, there is the potential for that moisture to freeze before it evaporates.

If the forecast holds, cities on the East Coast, including New York and Washington, are unlikely to have a white Christmas, as the storm will probably pass Thursday and Friday as a “rain event” before temperatures plummet. New York is forecast to reach a high near 30 degrees on Christmas Day.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.