Ice, Flooding to Target Midwest, Northeast Into Wednesday

By Kristina Pydynowski, Senior Meteorologist

March 3,2015; 8:22PM,EST

 

 

Yet another winter storm is taking aim at the Northeast and Midwest with some snow, but also significant problems due to flooding and ice on Tuesday night and into early Wednesday.
The storm is taking a more northern track, when compared to the storm this past weekend.
The swath of snow will stretch from northern Michigan through central Ontario to northern upstate New York, southern Quebec and northern Maine.
The door will open for warmer air to pour in south of the snowstorm, causing any snow at the storm's onset to change over to an icy mix, then rain across the rest of the Midwest and Northeast.

This ice-to-rain event will race in a west-to-east fashion from the Midwest to the Northeast.
Enough ice to cause slippery travel is expected in Philadelphia, New York City, Boston and Albany, New York, for several hours during Tuesday night.
Where the cold air is slower to leave in the interior Northeast, the prolonged icing could lead to downed trees and power outages.
Road conditions will improve when rain replaces the ice, but motorists should continue to use caution after temperatures initially climb above freezing. Due to the recent cold, roadway temperatures may lag behind and remain slick for an extra hour or two.
The rain will bring its own issues for residents and travelers.
RELATED:
AccuWeather.com Winter Weather Center
Forecast Temperature Maps
Record Chill to Loosen Grip on East, Midwest in March
Downpours and reduced visibility may lead to continued slow travel for motorists and additional flight delays.
The rain will be heavy enough and/or will combine with melting snow to trigger flooding in the lower Midwest states (including the Ohio Valley), the spine of the Appalachians, upper mid-Atlantic and southern New England.
According to AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski, "Motorists, pedestrians and property owners from the Ohio Valley to southern New England should be prepared for minor flooding as rising temperatures cause snow and ice to change to rain and existing snow cover to turn to slush and water."
One area of heightened concern is the Ohio Valley, where the terrain combined with significant snow cover, heavy rain and most rapid warmup is likely.

The heaviest rain will hit this area Tuesday night.
Low-lying areas and places where piles of snow are covering storm drains will be most susceptible to flooding.
Ice jams may also form on area rivers, perhaps leading to flooding and damage on riverbank property.
"At first, the rain will add weight to the snow on roofs in southern New England [including the Boston area]," stated AccuWeather.com Chief Meteorologist Elliot Abrams.
"But as temperatures rise into the 40s, melting will occur and that will lead to some street flooding."
The milder and more springlike weather headed to the Midwest and Northeast will not stay the entire week.
Fresh arctic air will quickly return Wednesday through Thursday.
The arrival of the colder air will coincide with a new batch of rain forecast to spread from the southern Plains to the East Coast. As the cold air slams into the rain, a rare changeover to snow and ice will occur in a large swath from Texas and the middle Mississippi Valley to the Ohio Valley, mid-Atlantic and southern New England.
"The arctic air coming in later this week will be brief and not as extreme as that of the last couple of weeks of February from the Appalachians to the Atlantic Seaboard," Sosnowski said.