By Alex Sosnowski, Expert Senior Meteorologist
March 1,2014; 6:25PM,EST
A storm crossing the country will create travel nightmares for millions from the Plains to the mid-Atlantic through Monday.
Snow will expand from the northern Rockies and central Plains to
portions of the Midwest this weekend, reaching the Northeast and
mid-Atlantic on Sunday through Monday.
Snowfall from the cross-country storm will exceed 1,500 miles on its
journey. Along that journey, more than 6 inches of snow will occur from
Kansas City, Mo., to St. Louis to Indianapolis to Columbus, Ohio, to
Clarksburg, W. Va., to Harrisonburg, Va., to
Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia and Trenton, N.J.
Some locations along this swath could end up with a foot of snow or more.
People traveling by road or airways should expect major long-lasting delays as this area of snow expands to the south and east.
For a time, the snow or an icy mix will impact areas between the I-90
and I-40 corridors in the Plains and Midwest and the I-90 and I-85
corridors in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic.
Snowfall rates at the height of the storm may reach 2 inches per hour, causing the snow to quickly clog major interstates.
Major airport hubs from Kansas City, Mo.,
Chicago,
St. Louis, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C.,
Philadelphia and New York City may all be directly affected by the storm
with the potential for thousands of delays and/or cancellations.
Ripple-effect flight delays and cancellations are likely to reach
nationwide.
One batch of snow will push slowly eastward through Sunday from the
Great Lakes to part of the central Appalachians. It is during this first
batch where Chicago, Detroit and Buffalo, N.Y., are likely to get most
of the snow from the event.
However, it is during the last part of the storm, when the heaviest
and longest-lasting snow is likely to occur farther south in the Ohio
Valley, Northeast and mid-Atlantic.
The heaviest snow is projected to be along the I-70 corridor from
eastern Kansas to Pennsylvania on Sunday. Accumulating snow will also
drop southward to the Texas Panhandle and northern Oklahoma.
Sunday night, the heaviest snow zone will stretch from the Ohio
Valley to around the Mason-Dixon Line and the central coast of New
Jersey Sunday night. On Monday, substantial snow and ice will center on
the mid-Atlantic.
The storm is likely to impact not only travel, but also school and
business activities. The storm may completely tap remaining ice-melting
supplies in some communities.
RELATED:Rough Winter to Lag Well Into March for Midwest, East
Latest Winter Weather Watches, Warnings
AccuWeather Winter Weather Center
According to AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Elliot Abrams, "The
challenge with this storm is figuring out where the north-south boundary
between rain and snow will set up and migrate to as the storm
progresses slowly eastward."
A tremendous temperature contrast will set up from north to south
with the storm. A distance of 100 miles could bring temperatures ranging
from the 60s and 70s to the 20s and 30s and the difference between
rain, ice and snow.
"In a narrow swath, all or part of the storm will deliver snow that
may be difficult to shovel and plow, due to its accumulation and
weight," Abrams said.
South of I-70, travel hazards will start even before the first flake
of snow falls due to sleet and/or freezing rain preceding the snow. In
some cases, this icy mix will come after a period of rain.
On Monday, that icy mix will occur as far south as
Raleigh and Greensboro, N.C.
Soaking rain would wash away any lingering salt or would prevent crews from treating roads prior to the ice or snow begins.
"Because of the great amount of moisture available to this storm, a
narrow zone of heavy ice can occur with downed trees and power outages,"
Abrams said.
The area at
greatest risk for the heavy ice and power outages lies from central Arkansas to southern West Virginia. This includes Little Rock, Ark., and Lexington, Ky.
A shift in storm track by as little as a few dozen miles and more of a
press of cold air could make the difference between heavy snow, light
snow, ice and rain.
In the warm air on the southern flank of the storm, drenching rain
and thunderstorms will occur. Long-duration rainfall will occur near the
rain/snow line, while the potential for
strong to locally severe thunderstorms sweeping through is greatest over the Arklatex.
AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski contributed to the content of this story.
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