The worst type of winter weather to which commuters can be exposed is when the temperature is actually around the freezing point: the roads appear simply wet, but bridges and overpasses get wet first. The same trend repeats in portions of the Great Lakes and New England midweek, and is replaced by an extensive late-week storm, which trades snow for rain and vice versa over a vast area of the nation.
The wintry blend that has been languishing in the upper Great Lakes into the Northeast extends into Minnesota and Wisconsin, into Michigan, upstate New York and into central New England. The National Weather Service has pointed to the possibility of freezing rain that is capable of forming a thin layer on the untreated surfaces- enough to alter braking range and traction in a few seconds. The accumulation of ice in interior southern New England has been estimated at 0.1 to 0.2 inches in certain locations, which can make traveling inconvenient, not to mention hazardous.
The snow is still included in the image, particularly at those points where an elevation is a contributor to lowering the temperatures at the surface. AccuWeather has outlined an area of built-up snow around the Lake Huron shore eastward to northern New England where a general accumulation of 1 to 6 inches would develop in the preferred locations. The greater amounts are also usually in the mountains of the interior of New England, and lighter snow may be left even where the most constant precipitation has passed.
Then there is the greater disturbance.
The cross country storm is set to pass rain, thunderstorms and snow over dozens of states across the Plains to the Great Lakes and East later in the week. Since the warmer air is rushing north earlier than the system, most communities may experience both precipitation between rain and wintry blend depending on the path of the storm, and the arrival of the colder air following the storm. AccuWeather has issued a warning on the possibility of heavier thunderstorms along the eastern side of Oklahoma and Texas through the Mississippi Valley with hail and destructive winds, yet the colder side favors snow and pockets of icy conditions along the Plains and Midwest.
In the case of households, the accumulation is commonly the practical distinction between the two terms: advisory and warning. A Winter Weather Advisory may be issued at any quantity of freezing rain and at 2 4 inches of snow which are of great inconvenience, whereas a winter storm watch or winter storm warning is reserved to higher, more disastrous amounts.
Travel planning is the stress point even on such occasions when it is multi-hazard. The safety advice includes driving slowly, completely removing snow and ice off the vehicle and then driving, carrying a charged phone, and pulling off the road should the visibility become poor. Roadway risk is not theoretical: according to the same preparedness guidance alone over 5,000 deaths happen on the U.S. roadways every year because of weather conditions.
The consistency of the week across the Great Lakes, upstate New York and New England, is that repeated waves of light ice, bursts of snow and heavy rain periods can worsen the effects particularly on untreated roads and during the morning and evening commute hours.
