Leaders in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia issued or extended states of emergency ahead of the winter storm.
Car collides with snowplow, drivers urged to be careful
New York state officials are warning commuters to slow down in the winter after dashcam footage showed a car colliding with a snowplow south of Watertown.
The frigid temperatures and wintry weather aren’t over yet on the East Coast, as the nation braces for what meteorologists are describing as a bomb cyclone, nor’easter, and blizzard.
The National Weather Service announced on January 30 that the Carolinas were headed for blizzard conditions due to a “rapidly intensifying coastal low.” Heavy snow, strong winds and dangerous travel conditions will hit North and South Carolina, as well as parts of Virginia and Georgia, over the weekend.
The Raleigh Weather Service said 4 to 8 inches of snow was expected to fall in central North Carolina starting the night of Jan. 30, with localized accumulations of more than a foot expected. Wind chills will reach as low as -5 degrees in this region.
The National Weather Service in Columbia, South Carolina, said some areas near the Carolina border could see 6 to 8 inches of rain, while other areas could see 3 to 6 inches of rain.
“For cities like Charlotte, Raleigh and Greensboro, this storm could be the biggest snowstorm in decades,” AccuWeather said.
Up to 6 inches of snow could fall in southern Virginia, according to AccuWeather.
Winter storm forecast for the weekend
The snow that began in Kentucky on the morning of January 30 is expected to spread into the Appalachians, while a coastal low develops off the coast of the southeastern United States. The cyclone is expected to intensify on January 31 and February 1, causing coastal flooding up and down the east coast.
As new weather challenges continue in the East, gusty arctic winds are moving south and will reach as far south as the Gulf Coast by the evening of January 30, the National Weather Service announced. Daily low temperatures could collapse across the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic, bringing “dangerously cold” temperatures to the Southeast and even Floridians with the potential for snowstorms. Subzero weather is expected in South Florida as February begins.
Parts of the same region affected by last weekend’s massive winter storm will once again be experiencing frigid cold and snow.
“This is severe and deadly winter weather that will not let up,” AccuWeather meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said in an advisory.
Leaders in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia issued or extended states of emergency ahead of the winter storm.
“High winds and bitter cold will bring snow,” North Carolina Governor Josh Stein said. “Our biggest concern is unsafe travel. Stay home and stay off the streets during the winter.”
Where does it snow?
The snowpack will move into Kentucky on the morning of January 30th and move over the southern Appalachians on January 31st. Snow will also spread into the Carolinas, southern Virginia and northern Georgia, the weather service said.
Moderate to heavy snow could extend into North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Snow is also possible in parts of Maryland and Delaware.
A winter storm warning covered the Carolinas, northeastern Georgia, southern Virginia and eastern Tennessee. As of the afternoon of January 30th, 31 million people were under winter storm warnings.
Although the storm’s exact path through the mid-Atlantic coast and Northeast is not 100% certain, AccuWeather meteorologists say the areas most likely to see snow are 3 to 6 inches in southeastern Massachusetts, and 1 to 3 inches in Rhode Island, eastern Massachusetts and the eastern coast of Maine. Storms are expected from Northern Virginia to New York City.
Track snowfall with this interactive map
Stay tuned to USA TODAY’s tracker for the latest information on this weekend’s snowfall totals.
Contributors: Dinah Voyles Pulver and Doyle Rice
