A massive winter storm system is expected to hit much of the US days before Christmas, potentially halting holiday travel as motorists and air travelers grapple with heavy snow, powerful winds and severe cold in many areas .
This massive storm system coincides with the arrival of an arctic air mass that will consume much of the country “this coming week”. according to the National Weather Service, Between Tuesday and Saturday, temperatures are expected to average 10 to 35F below normal over the northwest to eastern two-thirds of the US.
In the Northern Plains and upper Midwest, temperatures could drop into the negative teens Fahrenheit and spread into the Central Plains. Temperatures are expected to drop into the single digits and teens from the midwest to the central and northern parts of the eastern seaboard, the weather agency said.
Even the southern US won’t be spared, as temperatures are potentially plummeting in parts of normally temperate states like Florida and Texas. According to the Weather Channel, the northern Gulf Coast could see temperatures below freezing.
The storm system could still bring more extreme weather. Joe Lundberg, senior long-range meteorologist at AccuWeather, said: “This is the type of setup that can produce ground-breaking blizzards across parts of the central states.”
“This storm will likely intensify, feeding on an extremely sharp transition between rising arctic air coming in from the central states and relatively warm air over the southeastern US,” warned John Porter, chief meteorologist at AccuWeather. “This type of setup has caused major East Coast storms for decades, causing the threat of heavy snow and rain, strong winds, coastal flooding, severe thunderstorms and even tornadoes in the southern part of the storm “
The system comes after a powerful storm dumped snow on parts of the eastern US this weekend, leaving about 144,000 power customers without power from northern New York to Maine, NBC News reported. The outlet said some Maine residents could be blacked out until Monday or Tuesday because many roads were impassable.
“Heavy snow will continue over Maine, while heavy lake effects in western and north-central New York will continue through Monday,” the National Weather Service said. Said on Sunday. Meanwhile, the northern plains may face wind chill of up to -60F.
The torrid storm system is expected to land several days after a 5.4-magnitude earthquake centered near Midland, Texas, shook the region — and was felt hundreds of miles away, a local ABC affiliate reported. The quake struck about 5.30 p.m. Friday and marked at least the second West Texas earthquake greater than 5.0-magnitude in the past month, according to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.
State oil and gas investigators launched an investigation into a 5.4-magnitude earthquake on November 16 northwest of Pecos, Texas. According to the Texas Tribune, the number of earthquakes in the Permian Basin of West Texas – which produces most of the oil and natural gas in this state – has increased in recent years.
Scientists have tied the increase in seismic activity to groundwater being injected underground. The outlet reported that oil companies often dump this salty, contaminated waste underground, which can “wake up dormant fault lines”.
