Winter storm warnings issued for 28 US states as freezing temperatures loom
The US National Weather Service (NWS) issued winter weather-related warnings for 28 states on Wednesday morning, as up to 14 inches of snow is expected to fall in certain regions of the region.
As of early Wednesday, winter storm warnings, meaning "a significant combination of hazardous winter weather is occurring or imminent," had been issued in Maryland, Virginia, Alaska, North Carolina, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and isolated parts of Oregon and Wyoming, News.Az reports, citing US media.
Freezing temperatures can pose health risks, particularly for vulnerable groups such as infants and older adults. Additionally, winter storms may cause power outages and snow can obstruct travel, leading to dangerous driving conditions.
The U.S. has already faced multiple winter storms this season.
Areas affected included parts of central and northeastern Arkansas, southeastern Missouri, southern Illinois, West Virginia and Indiana, western and northwestern Tennessee, eastern Maryland, eastern and northeastern North Carolina, and parts of central and southwestern Virginia.
Several states had winter weather advisories in place, including parts of South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Delaware, Texas, Oklahoma, Montana, Idaho, New York, Michigan, Colorado, Washington.
These are issued "for any amount of freezing rain, or when two to four inches of snow (alone or in combination with sleet and freezing rain), is expected to cause a significant inconvenience, but not serious enough to warrant a warning."
While snowfall forecasts varied state to state, in Wyoming's Snowy Range, total accumulations between eight and 14 inches were possible, with the potential for higher amounts above 10,000 feet.
"Outdoor recreation could become life threatening to those caught unprepared for severe winter conditions," the NWS warned, adding that hypothermia and frostbite can quickly develop.
Portions of eastern and southeast Virginia could expect to see up to 10 inches, the service said, warning that travel could be "very difficult" and that Wednesday evening and Thursday morning commutes were likely to be affected.
In Oregon, the southern Cascades and Siskiyou Mountains, including Highway 140 near Lake of the Woods, Highway 62 toward Crater Lake, Highway 58 near Willamette Pass, and Highways 138 and 230 near Diamond Lake, could see between four to eight inches, with up to a foot near Crater Lake.
The NWS said snow here was expected to be heaviest between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., with snowfall of an inch or more an hour likely. It warned that visibility could be limited to a quarter mile during periods of heavy snow.
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