Break out the salt and shovels, because winter storms are about to dump a mess of snow and ice on large swathes of the U.S. Winter warnings or advisories now cover at least 20 states.
Snow and ice storms in the central and eastern U.S.; heavy rains in the South; flash-flood watches on the West Coast: the National Weather Service (NWS) says large storms are threatening to ruin commutes and cancel school days around the country.
As the sun rose Tuesday morning, satellite images showed a thick glaze of white clouds covering much of the continental U.S., with another system looming off the Pacific Coast.
A "significant Winter Storm begins Tuesday," the NWS said on Tuesday, predicting "heavy snow from northeast Kentucky into West Virginia through the I-95 corridor from Richmond [Va.] to Philadelphia."
Snow will fall at up to 1 inch per hour, the agency said, forecasting totals of 4 to 8 inches. The wet snow would make travel extremely risky, particularly during Tuesday's afternoon commute.
Other winter storms will hit the Midwest and Central Plains with heavy snow and ice, forecasters said.
As of noon ET Tuesday, the two largest systems had triggered winter storm warnings and advisories for some 20 states, from Boulder, Colo., to Ocean City, Md.
"The rapid accumulation of snow will make travel extremely difficult, if not impossible," the National Weather Service office in Lincoln, Ill., said.
Governors have declared weather-related emergencies in Kansas and Virginia.
From Tuesday into Wednesday, a treacherous half-inch of ice could accumulate on roads in the mid-Atlantic and Central Appalachians, the NWS said. Heavy wet snow could also bring down trees and cause power outages.
Weather experts are advising anyone who must travel to proceed with care — and to pack emergency items in their car, from a flashlight to food and water.
In the Denver area, subzero wind chill temperatures are predicted to persist for much of the next 24 hours, with snowfall of 3 to 6 inches predicted.
"It's a very active snow pattern," said NWS meteorologist Russell Danielson, according to member station Colorado Public Radio. "Just snow and cold."
And in California, heavy rain is poised to hit fire-ravaged parts of Los Angeles the same week as a massive project kicks off to remove structural and private property debris from the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires.
An atmospheric river will bring what will likely be "the strongest storm of the season" to California, NWS meteorologist Kristan Lund said, according to member station LAist.
The rain will likely peak on Thursday, with more than 2 inches expected to fall in the Los Angeles area through the end of the week, the LA NWS office said.
Many of the country's weather extremes this week are reflected in Texas. The Texas Division of Emergency Management warns that the state faces wildfire dangers in the west, snow impacts in the Texas Panhandle, and potential flooding across eastern Texas.
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