A powerful winter storm It was sweeping east from the Plains on Sunday, fueled by what meteorologists call an intense cyclone expected to hit much of the country with a mixture of snow, ice, rain and strong winds.
“Parts of the storm system are seeing heavy snowfall, other parts of the storm along the cold front are seeing stronger winds and much cooler temperatures as the front moves through,” said Bob Oravec, lead forecaster at the National Weather Service office in College Park, Maryland. “They're all connected to each other – different parts of the country will be affected differently by this storm.”
Snow and increasing winds spread Sunday across the Upper Midwest, where the National Weather Service warned of white-out conditions and possible snow storms that could make travel impossible in some areas. Snowfall totals are expected to exceed a foot (30 centimeters) in parts of the upper Great Lakes, with up to 2 feet (60 centimeters) along the southern shore of Lake Superior.
Waves on Lake Superior are likely to exceed 25 feet (7.6 meters) by dawn Monday, and high waves are forecast on the other Great Lakes, forecasters said.
“Since the infamous Edmund Fitzgerald storm in 1975, there have been no major incidents on the lake,” said Ben Warren, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Marquette, Michigan.
Forecasts have improved significantly after the disaster killed 29 people. The Edmund Fitzgerald iron ore truck sank in Lake Superior. November 10, 1975. The weather service had predicted waves of up to 16 feet (4.9 meters) shortly before the Edmund Fitzgerald sank.
In the South, meteorologists warned of severe thunderstorms that were expected to signal the arrival of a sharp cold front, sometimes called a “Blue North,” that would bring a sudden drop in temperatures and strong northerly winds that would end days of record warmth across the region.
Snowy holiday season in the Upper Midwest and Northeast arrives as spring warmth lingers across much of the midsection and South, where record-breaking temperatures have left Santa sweating in recent days.
The National Weather Service forecast Atlanta's high temperature on Sunday will be around 72 degrees Fahrenheit (22 degrees Celsius), continuing a warming trend after rising to 78 F (about 26 C), which would break the city's record high temperature on Christmas Eve. The South and Midwest saw many other record high temperatures in the days after Christmas.
However, according to forecasters, the record heat is quickly coming to an end.
A cold front is expected to bring rain to much of the South late Sunday into Monday, with the weather turning much colder by Tuesday. The dramatic change will drop low temperatures in Atlanta to 25 F (minus 3.9 C) by early Tuesday. Cooler temperatures in the south are expected to continue into the New Year.
In Dallas, temperatures in the low 80s (high 20s C) on Sunday could dip into the mid 40s (single digits C). In Little Rock, high temperatures near 70 (21 C) on Sunday could drop to highs in the mid-30s on Monday.
“We’re definitely moving back into a more wintry pattern,” Oravec said.
Over the next 48 hours, the cyclone is expected to cause heavy snow and blizzard conditions in the Midwest and Great Lakes, freezing rain in New England, thunderstorms in the eastern U.S. and South, and widespread strong winds.
The storm is expected to strengthen as it moves east, drawing energy from a sharp collision between cold air falling south from Canada and unusually warm air that has lingered in the southern United States, according to the National Weather Service.
Thousands follow him flight delays and cancellations Snowfall in the Northeast and Great Lakes regions sent thousands of people onto roads and into airports earlier this weekend during the busy travel period between Christmas and New Year's.
On the other side of the country, California had a fairly dry weekend after… powerful storms hit the state with heavy rains, flash floods and landslides. At least four people were killed, including a man who was found dead Friday in a partially submerged car near Lancaster, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said.
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Willingham reported from Concord, New Hampshire. Martin reported from Kennesaw, Georgia.
Leah Willingham and Jeff Martin, The Associated Press
