Intense Winter Storm Puts Over 100 Million Americans Under Winter Weather Alerts

Winter weather alerts for a mixture of rain, ice sleet, and snow have been issued by US meteorologists. The Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions brace for Friday, Feb. 25 due to the incoming winter storm; which has already rampaged from the Great Plains to the Ohio Valley as of Thursday, Feb. 24.

The US weather authorities have classified the weather phenomenon as a major winter storm-which has already caused thousands of domestic and international flights to be canceled and delayed across the US. The storm is expected to cause further travel disruption in the coming hours.

Mid-Atlantic and Northeast

(Photo : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) via Getty Images)

The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) - National Weather Service (NWS) issued winter weather alerts due to a major winter storm currently moving toward the eastern US coast. The US weather agency also warned of torrential rain and flash floods brought by the storm.

Once the storm hits the Interstate 95 (I-95) corridor, areas from the Mid-Atlantic to New England will be affected. According to NBC News, 110 million Americans were placed under winter weather alerts as of Thursday morning.

In addition, the alerts include ice storm warnings, flood alerts, and winter alerts-and will stretch from the southern Great Plains to New England. On Thursday, the winter storm has already brought heavy snowfall and icy conditions in multiple areas, including the Mississippi Valley, Midwest, and Great Lakes.

Furthermore, the winter storm will continue moving east from Thursday evening to Friday early morning, affecting several states in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions due to heavy snow, as per NBC News.

Also read: Massive Storm May Bring Thunderstorm Risks to Central, Southern US

Affected Cities and Forecast

Weather forecasts reportedly reveal the winter storm will disrupt the morning commute on Friday from the cities of Philadelphia to Boston as the storm will bring a combination of heavy rain, snow, and ice sleet. Additionally, the Washington area can also experience travel disruption by mid-morning.

According to NBC Boston news, approximately almost all of New England will be covered with snow by mid-morning on Friday. Furthermore, reports said between 8 and 12 inches of snow is expected in northern Massachusetts.

Meanwhile, Boston will experience the accumulation of thick snow and New York City is forecasted to received a mixture of ice, snow, and rain until Friday afternoon. Heavy snowfall is also expected in Chicago, Illinois, Michigan; and Cleveland, Ohio.

Furthermore, other cities may experience the accumulation of ice sleet in Dallas, Texas; Little Rock, Arkansas; St. Louis, Missouri; and Hartford, Connecticut. The storm is reportedly expected to move toward the coast of the Atlantic Ocean by Friday evening.

Flight Disruptions

The continued effects of the storm in the US have already caused more than 5,000 domestic and international flights to be canceled. Over 10,000 flights have been delayed, according to the FlightAware flight tracking website.

The US is currently in its winter season which approximately spans from December to March. In the coming weeks, winter storms are still expected to occur across the US, especially in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions.