The Midwest and Northeast brace for another round of wintry weather, while the West basks in record-breaking warmth. Fast-moving weather systems are bringing a chill from the Midwest to the Northeast, with snow expected to hit the Midwest this weekend and spread across the country, reaching Washington, D.C., and New York City by Monday. However, this snowfall is unlikely to match the intensity of last weekend's blizzard, which battered the Northeast with over 2 feet of snow and left over 600,000 customers without power.
Massachusetts bore the brunt of the power outages, with the state's south coast and Cape Cod particularly affected. As of Friday, nearly half a million outages had been restored since the nor'easter began. Meanwhile, some areas of the Midwest and the Pacific Northwest are under winter weather advisories, with Southwest Phillips County in Montana under a winter storm warning from this morning to tomorrow. Heavy snow, around 4 to 7 inches, is expected, and travel could be impacted, according to the National Weather Service.
Winter weather advisories are in place for parts of Washington, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Alaska. Snow is set to fall late Sunday across Iowa, northern Missouri, and Illinois, with icy conditions possible in central Missouri. The weather system may cause travel delays on Monday as it moves through the Midwest into the mid-Atlantic, starting with potential delays during the morning commute in Chicago, Indianapolis, and Pittsburgh, midday in Washington, D.C., and Baltimore.
Icy conditions are forecast for the early morning of Tuesday from Washington to New York City, before the weather switches to rain for the rest of the day. Any accumulating snow will be confined to northern New England. Yet, in contrast, spring has arrived in many parts of the country, with above-average temperatures in around 90% of the contiguous United States. Record highs are expected from Southern California to Texas, and even the Northeast will warm up on Saturday before the cold weather returns on Sunday and Monday.
Next week, strong storms and heavy rain are predicted for parts of the Plains and the Mississippi Valley, a weather pattern that could lead to flooding. This highlights the dynamic and often unpredictable nature of our climate, where different regions experience contrasting weather patterns.
