A major winter storm that the National Weather Service has described as “expansive” is expected to affect a widespread area across the United States this weekend. Here is the latest.
When is the snow supposed to start?
Large parts of the eastern and central United States are expected to see heavy snow. But south of the snow line, forecasters are warning that the storm could deliver dangerously icy conditions. Exactly where that snow vs. ice line will fall was still uncertain on Wednesday.
Starting Friday, heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain are expected in the southern Rockies and Plains.
By Saturday, the storm’s effects will reach the Tennessee Valley and the Southeastern states, though how far south it will reach was unclear.
After that, its impacts will spread through the Mid-Atlantic and parts of the Northeast over the weekend and possibly into Monday. These places are more likely to see snow than ice.
How much snow is expected this weekend?
Some places could see up to a foot of snow, but those totals — and where they fall — are changing quickly as the storm’s path becomes clearer.
You can put your city in the tool below and get a good idea of what forecasters are saying. The results cut off at three days from now, because that is when the National Weather Service ends its snow forecast. Here is a story from The Upshot that explains how probabilities factor into snowfall forecasts.
Will New York City get snow?
The storm’s projected path shifted north on Wednesday, and so has the boundary line between snow and ice. That makes it even harder for forecasters to have an exact idea of what will happen along that line. A little movement north or south can lead to very different amounts of snow for a place like New York this time.
“New York City is unfortunately on the edge of this line,” Jennifer Tate, a meteorologist at the Weather Prediction Center, said Wednesday morning. “So they’ve got a bit of uncertainty, but they do now look like they’re going to see more of that snow, because of that northward shift.”
The New York office of the National Weather Service said there was potential for moderate to heavy snowfall across portions of the state, with a 72 percent probability of at least six inches of snow for New York City, from Sunday though Monday.
Which Southern states could see snow this weekend?
Winter storm watches will be in effect starting Friday in parts of these states: New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa, Arkansas, Louisiana, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi and Ohio. Ms. Tate said that for many of these areas, watches would probably be upgraded to winter storm warnings as the week goes on.
Watches mean that hazardous conditions are possible and that people should prepare, while warnings are a call to take immediate action.
There was a lot of uncertainty among forecasters on Wednesday of the storm’s exact timing and path.
It’s going to be very cold in many places.
Hundreds of thousands of people across the Great Lakes and Upper Midwest were under extreme cold warnings on Wednesday, and that number was expected to grow substantially as a surge of cold air moves south from the Arctic. Even as the snow and ice end this weekend, the cold air means their remnants are likely to stick around well into next week.
Does this storm have a name?
Not officially. Meteorological agencies in some parts of the world assign names to winter storms, but in the United States, only hurricanes and tropical storms get official names from the National Weather Service. Since 2012, The Weather Channel has used its own list of names for storms, a move that has been criticized as a marketing ploy. It is calling this one Fern.
How can I prepare for the storm?
Stay home, if you can. Keep batteries and other supplies on hand. If your home loses power, do not run a generator inside, and do not try to heat your home with your oven.
If you must go outside, experts advise that you drive slowly, even if you’re used to winter weather, but especially if you are not.
Wirecutter has tips for building your own emergency prep kit, and other ways to prepare yourself and your home for the next big storm.
Nazaneen Ghaffar is a Times reporter on the Weather team.
The post Everything You Could Possibly Want to Know About This Winter Storm appeared first on New York Times.
