Nearly two months after a major storm brought heavy snow and freezing rain to parts of the eastern U.S., a new winter storm is battering the northeastern U.S. states and southeastern Canada.
An area of low pressure, which first developed over parts of the northwestern United States late last week, rapidly intensified as it moved northeastward across parts of the central United States.
Combining cold, dry air from northern parts of the continent with warm, moist air from the tropics, the system generated a large area of snowfall that swept across the northernmost US states on Sunday, while a narrow band of heavy rain and thunderstorms – associated with a strong cold front – developed along a line stretching from the northern tip of the continental US to the Gulf of Mexico.
Strong, gusty winds fanned a large wildfire in Nebraska, burning an area of more than 550 square miles. On Sunday, the National Weather Service issued a tornado outlook warning along the front, with a 15% risk assigned to an area where more than 11 million people live in three states for Monday.
As the new week begins, the center of the storm will continue to move northeast into southeastern Canada, bringing heavy snow, freezing rain and strong winds to the northeastern US, Ontario, Quebec and Newfoundland throughout Monday and Tuesday.
Impacts are likely to be most severe around the Great Lakes: snow accumulations of up to 60 to 80 cm are expected, followed by winds of 60 to 70 mph, producing significant blizzard conditions and drifts.
Meanwhile, the southernmost cold front will cross the US East Coast on Monday, ushering in a polar air mass that will cause temperatures 10 to 25°C below the seasonal average across the eastern two-thirds of North America.
Freezing temperatures are likely to reach as far south as Alabama and Georgia. The coldest conditions in the U.S. are expected in North Dakota and Minnesota, where temperatures may drop to as low as -20°C (-4°F). The Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario may see temperatures drop close to -40°C.
By contrast, temperatures in the western third of the continent are likely to rise 10 to 15°C above the seasonal average, a stark contrast that is not unusual in the United States in late winter and early spring.
Elsewhere, Australia has recorded very high rainfall in recent weeks. Last week in some parts of Queensland, a year’s worth of rain fell in 72 hours. More rain is expected as a low pressure system slides southeast across Australia’s central belt early this week before stopping over the tri-border region of New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia. Up to 150mm is expected in a 48-hour period.
Flood warnings were issued last week and will remain in force across much of inland Australia.
