A ‘major’ snow deluge scouring 40 states with electrically charged blizzards is about to unleash the worst winter storm for a decade.
The entire central and eastern swath of the country is on alert for what is warned will be a significant and dangerous weather event.
The United States’ National Weather Service (NOAA) has widespread alerts in force with travellers to face severe disruption as roads become ‘impassable’.
The gigantic storm will sweep eastwards through the week, toppling trees, downing power cables and leaving communities stranded.
Large swathes of the US have seen lots of snow recently
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A NOAA spokesman said: “The storm will produce heavy snowfall and wind gusts exceeding 40 mph, creating blizzard conditions in parts of Kansas and Missouri.
“The snow will significantly reduce visibilities, and snowfall amounts will surpass 15 inches, the heaviest in a decade, which will make travel extremely hazardous, with impassable roads.
“Strong to severe thunderstorms will develop over parts of the Southeast as the storm boundary moves southeast.”
Millions of Americans are on standby as the ‘bitterly cold air surge’ roars in from Canada and the Arctic.
‘Waves’ of freezing winds will pummel the country through the rest of the week, experts warn.
AccuWeather meteorologist Joe Lundberg said: “The season’s most significant and wide-reaching winter storm to date will impact millions of people from the Plains to the East Coast.
“A major winter storm is expected to bring disruptive and dangerous impacts to millions of people over the weekend, followed by waves of bitterly cold air surging across 40 states.
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Millions of Americans are on standby as the ‘bitterly cold air surge’ roars in from Canada and the Arctic
AccuWeather
“We expect serious travel disruptions from this winter storm.”
Freezing conditions will reach as far as Kansas, Missouri, West Virginia and St Louis, he warned.
A ‘bad’ combination of heavy snow and ice will bring treacherous travel conditions through the region.
AccuWeather senior director of forecasting operations Dan DePodwin said: “Some places will have snow and ice then switch back to snow.
“That’s a bad combination, and heavy snow with a build-up of ice can bring down tree limbs and power lines.
“Now is the time to stock up on supplies because it will be very cold after this storm.
There’s a risk of subfreezing temperatures for large parts of the US
AccuWeather
“The ice will not melt quickly, so if you have a generator, make sure you know how to operate it safely, have sufficient fuel, and make sure it’s not in a place that is venting exhaust into your home.”
Further east, winds blown across the Great Lakes will bring further heavy snow to surrounding regions.
Parts of the country hit by the so-called Lake-effect through the year face a double whammy of misery as blizzards sweep in from the north.
Plunging temperatures will drive severe weather through the week with winter to tighten its grip through January.
Jim Dale, US meteorologist for British Weather Services and co-author of ‘Surviving Extreme Weather’, said: “We are looking at a massively cold plunge through the week, and as air containing moisture passes over the Great Lakes, there will be further heavy snow across the region.
“This is almost certainly going to be a hazardous period of weather which shows no signs of easing through the next week, and beyond.”