Much of the Eastern U.S. braced for a renewed round of harsh, soggy weather on Saturday, with snow predicted for the northeast and heavy winds with a threat of tornadoes in the Mississippi Valley.
Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia and Arkansas were under flood warnings, and residents were warned by the National Weather Service to stay off roads — with parts of western Kentucky forecast to receive up to 8 inches (200 mm) of rain.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear preemptively declared a state of emergency in the state, where flash flooding is expected on Saturday and into Sunday.
“We want to specifically put assets in places that flood and have flooded in the past,” Beshear said on social media.
The weather service said flash flooding is also possible in the Mississippi, Tennessee and Ohio Valleys. In Tennessee on Saturday, flash flood warnings were alerted in some counties north of Nashville until Saturday evening.
The National Weather Service called the expected rain a “major, potentially historic, flash flood event.”
Heavy snow, meanwhile, was expected to blanket much of New England and then transition to sleet, making travel nearly impossible, the NWS said.
In northern New York, heavy mixed precipitation is expected throughout the weekend. Weather forecasters said residents should expect snow, sleet and ice accumulations of six to 13 inches (150 to 200 mm) and wind gusts as high as 45 mph (72 km/h) late Saturday and Sunday.
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“Power outages and tree damage are likely due to the ice and strong winds. Travel could be very difficult to nearly impossible, the NWS said.
Matt Hodges plows snow from his driveway in Beckley, W.Va., Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025.
Rick Barbero/The Register-Herald via AP
Meteorologists warn that the U.S. is about to get its 10th and coldest polar vortex stretching event this season.
Weather forces in the Arctic are combining to push the chilly air that usually stays near the North Pole into the U.S. and Europe.
The latest projected cold outbreak should first hit the northern Rockies and northern Plains on Saturday and then stick around all next week.
In Denver, where temperatures are expected to dip as low as 14 degrees (-10 C) over the weekend, the city has extended its cold weather shelters for those living on the streets. The Denver Coliseum will be opened Saturday for additional space.
In the Rocky Mountains, skiers eager for the long Presidents’ Day weekend are already facing a closure on a section of Interstate 70 due to snow as officials warn of hazardous conditions on the mountain roads over the weekend.
A resident and their dog walk past a vehicle partially submerged in mud after a storm Friday, Feb. 14, 2025, in Sierra Madre, Calif.
(AP Photo/Eugene Garcia)
In California, dry weather returned to southern California after the strongest storm of the year, but the risk of rock and mudslides continued dangerous slides can strike even after rain stops, particularly in scorched areas where vegetation that helps keep soil anchored has burned away.
Water, debris and boulders rushed down the mountain in the city of Sierra Madre on Thursday night, trapping at least one car in the mud and damaging several home garages with mud and debris.
On Friday, bulldozers were cleaning up the mud-covered streets in the city of 10,000 people.
In the Sierra Nevada mountains, a storm dumped up to 6 feet (1.8 meters) of snow over 36 hours.
An emergency vehicle is hit by surf after being pushed into the ocean during a storm in the Palisades Fire zone Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, in Malibu, Calif.
AP Photo/Ethan Swope
