Accumulating snow to spread across central US by midweek

By Renee Duff, AccuWeather.com Meteorologist

January 18,2016; 12:47PM,EST

 

 

A storm moving across the central Plains will bring a swath of accumulating snow and the potential for travel disruptions on Tuesday into Wednesday.
"A system is poised to develop across the central United States on Tuesday, spreading snow from Nebraska to Iowa and southward into northeastern Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and Indiana," AccuWeather Meteorologist Senior Meteorologist Matt Rinde said.
Cities that will receive enough snow to shovel and plow include Omaha, Nebraska; Des Moines, Iowa; Springfield, Illinois; Kansas City, Missouri; and St. Louis.

A widespread 1-3 inches of snow is forecast to fall across the area with higher amounts likely across southern Iowa, northern Missouri and western Illinois.
Those heading to and from work and school on Tuesday need to remain on alert for slick, snow-covered roads and reduced visibilities along portions of interstates 35, 40, 70 and 80. Just a small amount of snow can cause treacherous driving conditions.
"Interstate 80 will become snow covered for the Tuesday morning commute from central Nebraska to eastern Iowa, including Omaha, Nebraska," AccuWeather Meteorologist Michael Doll said.
As the snow shifts south and eastward, afternoon and evening commutes will also be affected.
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"The worst driving conditions will shift into Des Moines, Iowa, Kansas City and St. Louis Tuesday afternoon into Tuesday evening," Doll said.
In addition to the snow, enough warm air could mix with the cold air already in place to produce a narrow swath of icy conditions farther to the south.

Areas of southeastern Kansas and southwestern Missouri are faced with the threat of a light coating of sleet and freezing rain.
Even a small amount of ice can lead to extremely dangerous road conditions.
As this system swings eastward, the potential for accumulating snow will shift into the Ohio Valley on Wednesday, before diminishing east of the Appalachians.
However, even in diminished state there can still be a couple of locally heavy snow showers that reach the coastal areas of the mid-Atlantic region.
While the midweek storm will fade moving toward the Atlantic coast, a storm that follows on Friday into Saturday has the potential to bring a major snowfall and travel disruptions from Washington, D.C. to Philadelphia and New York City.