Snow, ice and wind to cause tricky travel from central to eastern US

By Renee Duff, AccuWeather meteorologist

January 10,2017, 9:28:31PM,EST

 

 Wintry and windy weather will invade portions of the Great Lakes and northeastern United States into Tuesday night.

A swath of 1 to 6 inches of snow fell across parts of the northern Plains to the upper Great Lakes and interior Northeast into Tuesday afternoon.

As milder air flows northward and eastward, snow and ice will retreat across the interior Northeast, but not before slippery travel occurs.
Even though the storm has transitioned to rain in Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland and Pittsburgh, a narrow zone of wintry mix to the south can cause icy patches along parts of interstates 75, 80, 81 and 90.
"While a major ice storm is not expected, light freezing rain could cause road conditions to deteriorate quickly," AccuWeather Meteorologist Faith Eherts said.
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Even where the air temperature rises above freezing, slick spots are possible on some roads and sidewalks, since the ground will be very cold initially.
The steadiest rain will hold off until late Tuesday night from Washington, D.C., to Boston.
Several hours of freezing drizzle can make some roads slippery in parts of north-central Maryland and northern Virginia for a time.
Winds to whip from St. Louis to Detroit
Across the lower Great Lakes and Ohio Valley, winds around the strengthening storm could turn locally damaging.
Wind gusts could exceed 50 mph from Indianapolis to Detroit, Cleveland and Buffalo, New York. Any rain that falls in these areas will be windswept and will reduce visibility on roadways.

High winds will also extend farther west into portions of the middle Mississippi Valley, including St. Louis.
Motorists will need a firm grip on the steering wheel as a strong crosswind will be felt along interstates 64, 70 and 90.
Weak tree limbs can break and sporadic power outages are possible.