A Marxist Is Heading To The White House, So Hell Must Be Freezing Over
New storm sweeps in from West, challenges travel
SEATTLE - A fierce winter storm blew in from the Pacific, bringing up to 2 feet of snow, icy wind and a nightmare for holiday travelers already stymied by winter’s dance across the northern half of the country.
Snow, sleet and freezing rain caused treacherous driving conditions throughout the Pacific Northwest. Sections of two major highways - Interstate 90 in Oregon and Interstate 84 in Washington - were closed late Saturday night, and authorities asked the public to not to drive unless it was an emergency.
“It is extremely dangerous to be on the roads at this time,” said Multnomah County Deputy Paul McRedmond, sheriff’s spokesman.
Centralia, about 25 miles south of Olympia, had already received 9 inches Saturday night. The Seattle area was predicted to get 4 to 8 inches. Portland and the rest of Oregon’s Interstate 5 corridor could get as much as 10 inches.
“It’ll be nasty well into Sunday evening,” said Jonathan Wolfe, a Weather Service meteorologist.
Wind forecasts were downgraded Saturday night for the Cascade Range foothills east and south of Seattle. Winds flowing through the Cascades from Eastern Washington were steady at 20-30 mph with gusts to 50, some 20-30 mph less than expected, meteorologist Dana Felton said.
Authorities closed a 45-mile stretch of Interstate 84 from the Portland suburb of Troutdale to East River, Oregon, and Interstate 90 across Snoqualmie Pass in the Cascade Range, Washington’s main east-west roadway. There was no indication how long the highways would be closed.
The storm settling over the Northwest on the first official day of winter was the third major cold-weather system to punch the country in two days. Northeasterners dug out Saturday from several inches of snow the night before as Midwesterners dealt with yet another stinging, numbing storm.
As of Saturday, the December snowfall total in Bismarck, N.D., nearly equaled the 19.3-inch mark for of all last winter, said Weather Service meteorologist Joshua Scheck.
“The thing about North Dakota is that it’s extreme,” Scheck said. “For several years we haven’t had an aggressive winter like this.”
The wintry weather claimed a fatality in Milwaukee on Saturday when a man shoveling snow at a mobile home park collapsed and died.
Winter weather warnings were posted throughout Minnesota, including a blizzard warning for the southwest.
“If you get caught in this stuff, it really is life-threatening,” said Dan Miller, science and operations officer at the National Weather Service in Duluth.
Authorities warned that the storm could deliver a wallop as it moved eastward, potentially knocking out power to places still in the dark more than a week after a Northeast ice storm.
Gov. John Lynch of New Hampshire, where more than 20,000 homes and businesses were still in the dark Saturday, noted the long wait and the specter of further power failures wrought by up to 16 inches of snow forecast for the southern part of the state.
“I continue to hear frustration from the local communities regarding communication with the utilities, and I share their frustration,” he said.
Friday’s storm in the Northeast continued to wreak havoc where it blew through earlier, including Indiana, where more than 77,000 customers remained without power. The next storm in line could further damage trees and power lines already covered or weakened by ice, the Weather Service said.
(AP)
Winter Slamming Northeast & Northwest
Another major winter storm will move through the Northeast today with gusty winds and snow or a wintry mix possible.
Precipitation will fall primarily this morning in the Mid-Atlantic region, with snow cranking up by this afternoon and evening over northern New York State and Northern New England, which is where the heaviest snow is forecast to fall.
Near the Great Lakes, snow will transition to lake-effect snow by the afternoon and evening.
The heavy snow and gusty winds will lead to blizzard or near blizzard conditions in portions of Maine this evening and overnight tonight.
Gusty winds will continue over the region tomorrow with snow being confined to mainly areas near the Great Lakes and in Northern New England.
Temperatures will begin to moderate over the region Tuesday and Wednesday ahead of another system that will approach around midweek and bring another chance of rain, snow, and wintry mix.
Christmas Day should be mainly dry except for a few snow showers near the Great Lakes and in Northern New England.
Highs today will range from around 10 in northern Maine to around 40 near the Chesapeake Bay.
A major winter storm is also impacting the Pacific Northwest with heavy snow and gusty winds, with heavy rain possible near the coast.
Blizzard warnings are posted in the Washington Cascades and Olympic Mountains.
Snow will spread eastward into the Northern High Plains and rain will spread south towards Southern California tonight.
Precipitation will begin to taper off in the Northwest and pick up in the Southwest tomorrow, with some locally heavy snow possible in the Rockies and Wasatch.
Another pair of systems will begin to impact the West Coast by Wednesday bringing another round of rain in California and rain/snow in the Pacific Northwest.
Snow showers are expected in the Great Basin and Mountain West, with rain possible along the coast and in California?s Central Valley.
Highs today will range from the teens below zero in northeastern Montana to around 70 in southern Arizona and southeastern California.
A few snow showers are possible over the Upper Midwest with some lake-effect snow showers near the Great Lakes.
Gusty winds blowing snow on the ground will lead to blizzard conditions in portions of Iowa, southern Minnesota, and northern Illinois.
The gusty winds combined with chilly temperatures will also lead to dangerously cold wind chills today with many areas under either a wind chill advisory or warning.
Lake-effect snow showers will continue into tomorrow near the Great Lakes, while an approaching system (moving out of the West) will bring wind and snow to much of the Mississippi River Valley tomorrow night.
Snow is expected in the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes on Tuesday from this system, with wintry mix and some ice from eastern Kansas through the Ohio Valley.
With warmer air lifting northward on Wednesday, the precipitation will change to rain in the Ohio Valley.
Christmas Day should be mainly dry with a few snow showers in the Upper Mississippi Valley.
Well below average high temperatures are expected all across the region tonight, ranging from the teens below zero in northwestern North Dakota to the 30s in eastern Kentucky.
Colder temperatures will make a return to the Southeast today and tonight as a cold front moves through the region.
A few showers are possible ahead of this front from eastern Virginia to the Gulf Coast and into South Texas.
Gusty winds are also expected behind the front.
Light freezing rain and light wintry mix will develop tomorrow night and Tuesday in portions of northern Oklahoma, much of Arkansas, and western Tennessee as moisture is drawn northward from the Gulf and overrides the cold air at the surface.
Warmer temperatures will begin to return as well Tuesday into Wednesday.
Showers and a few thunderstorms are possible in the Southeast on Wednesday.
Christmas Day should be mainly dry with a few showers in the Lower Mississippi Valley and along the Gulf and Southeast Coasts.
Highs today will range from the upper 20s in the Ozarks to the lower 80s in South Florida.
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