A messy forecast for tonight as a wintry mix of sleet and freezing rain will cause some travel issues.
(CNN) – More than 40 million people from Texas to West Virginia were warned of winter weather Monday as a system threatens heavy precipitation, significant icing and bitter cold, with roads potentially treacherous and rapid freezing possible in some places.
Ice accumulation is expected in at least 15 states, according to the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center.
“Total amounts of freezing rain could become significant in parts of central Texas, southwestern Oklahoma, central Arkansas and western Tennessee, where more than a quarter inch of ice accumulation is forecast. In addition, the chances of three-day ice accretion for half a day are low. inches exists across portions of central Texas and Arkansas,” the center said.
Wintry precipitation will fall across the region in several waves through Wednesday, and while there may be breaks in active weather, roads will remain slick throughout the event as temperatures remain cold.
Dangerously bitter cold air also settled behind the Arctic front as it slowly moved across the West over the weekend, with wind chill warnings issued for more than 15 million people Monday morning.
Wind chills of up to 45 degrees below zero are possible. The coldest wind chills can cause frostbite within 10 minutes.
Here’s what you can expect in the coming days:
- Monday: Freezing rain and sleet will likely begin Monday morning from parts of Texas to the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys, while a mass of cold air will deliver temperatures up to 30 degrees below average from the central High Plains to the Upper Midwest. Meanwhile, snow is expected in parts of the Central Appalachians and showers are forecast in parts of the Lower Mississippi, Tennessee and Ohio Valleys, as well as parts of the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Southeast.
- Monday evening: An ice storm warning goes into effect Monday evening for Memphis and surrounding areas in Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi. The warning is expected to last through Wednesday afternoon and travel could be “almost impossible,” the warning said.
- Tuesday and beyond: The frigid precipitation will continue into Tuesday, with parts of Texas and Oklahoma, including Austin, Dallas and Oklahoma City, under winter weather warnings through Wednesday. Concerns about heavy rain and flash flooding are increasing in eastern Texas on Tuesday, with a slight risk of excessive rainfall in eastern Texas through Wednesday in northwestern Louisiana.
It could start to freeze as early as Monday morning in Austin. Icing will be especially possible late at night to mid-morning when temperatures will be coldest. Dallas is also expected to see significant icing of one-tenth to one-quarter of an inch.
Snowfall of up to an inch and ice of about two inches are possible in Oklahoma City. Meanwhile, snow and sleet of up to an inch and ice of up to a tenth of an inch are possible in Springfield, Missouri, and ice accumulation of up to a tenth of an inch in St. Louis.
“The snow will result in reduced visibility and the snow/ice will create hazardous driving conditions,” the weather service warned.
Storms create dangerous road conditions
The biggest impacts to travel in the Texas region are expected Tuesday, with icy bridges and slippery roads possible, the weather service said. Fort Worth office. Motorists were asked to look out for patches of icy roads and slippery roads.
“Avoid traveling if you can, but if you must get out, watch out for ice/freeze, make sure you give yourself plenty of time and slow down when driving,” the weather service said.
In Oklahoma, worsening travel conditions were expected to begin Monday morning as sleet and freezing rain moved into the area, the Oklahoma weather bureau said. Norman.
And as freezing drizzle spread across central Illinois on Sunday evening, the weather bureau stepped in Lincoln warned that slippery roads, sidewalks and parking lots are possible. “Be careful if you head out tonight,” forecasters said.
Bad weather may have been a factor in a fatal multi-vehicle crash in Carbon County, Wyoming, this weekend.
The crash on Interstate 80 killed one person and injured several others Saturday evening as an arctic front slowly moved through the area.
Although the exact cause of the collision is unknown, excessive snow drifts and winds obscured visibility at the time the collision occurred, even at times when no new snow was falling. Areas along I-80 saw between 1 and 5 inches of snow, while isolated areas along the highway saw even higher amounts of snow.
A total of 44 vehicles collided between two separate collisions on the highway, the post said.