Blizzard warnings have been issued as a strong winter storm hits the Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic with more snow and wind

ERIE, Pa. – A new winter storm has millions of people from the Upper Midwest to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast bracing for damaging winds and possible blizzard or near-blizzard conditions in areas that were just hit by a lake-effect snowstorm that struck cities for miles buried in snow.

The storm could even bring some snow to the busy Interstate 95 corridor.

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The storm system, known as the “Alberta Clipper” due to its fast pace and origin in the Canadian province of the same name, has already moved into the U.S. and impacts will increase across the Great Lakes and Upper Midwest throughout the day.

Winter weather warnings stretch from North Dakota to Maine, including blizzard warnings issued in parts of West Virginia and Maryland in the Mid-Atlantic due to the threat of snow and strong winds leading to whiteout conditions, making travel treacherous and potentially life-threatening makes -threatening.

The heaviest snowfall on Wednesday will again be caused by lake effects and will be relegated to the eastern shores of Lake Superior and Lake Michigan. Winter storm warnings for new snow totals of more than a foot are in effect for Michigan’s western snowbelt and the Upper Peninsula.

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However, isolated snow squalls are possible across the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes on Wednesday, with widespread wind gusts reaching speeds of 40 to 50 mph, bringing the risk of blizzard or whiteout conditions.

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The clipper system will move through the Northeast on Thursday, shifting heavy snowfall to the eastern shores of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.

“This wind is coming directly from Canada and is pulling the cold air down harder – one of the reasons why so many people in the eastern part of the country are dealing with below-average temperatures,” FOX weather meteorologist Ian Oliver said. “This also keeps the lake effect snow machine running. So December starts with a bang.”

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Winter Storm Warnings and Lake Effect Snow Warnings are back in effect late Wednesday through Thursday night. An additional 7 to 12 inches of snow, with isolated larger amounts, is likely along the eastern shores of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. The 90 to 150 meters of lake snow that has accumulated in these areas has been dug out since Friday.

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Heavy snowfall is also expected across inland New England and Maine due to moisture associated with the storm center as it moves across this region on Thursday.

Lighter but increasing snowfall is expected in lower elevations in northern New York State and western and northern Pennsylvania.

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While strong winds didn’t play a major role in the previous lake-effect snowstorm, this time strong winds will blow across the Northeast as the strong low pressure center pushes over the region.

Widespread gusts of 40-50 mph are expected, creating blizzard-like conditions along lake-effect snow belts.

In total, more than 77 million people from the Dakotas to Massachusetts, including people in cities like Minneapolis, Chicago, Washington, DC and New York City, are included in Wind Advisories.

Wind gusts of more than 50 miles per hour could occur in the Minneapolis area, while tropical storm-force wind gusts could also blow up Cape Cod and Nantucket in Massachusetts.

Depending on the timing of Thursday’s storm, some areas along the I-95 corridor could see at least some wet snow or a rain/snow mix.

Neither New York, Philadelphia nor Boston have reported any measurable snow in the weather books so far this season. However, Central Park reported the first “trace” of snow on Tuesday.

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For the I-95 corridor as a whole, this storm is not expected to bring large snow accumulations, but the strong winds could still trigger sporadic power outages.

Original source of the article: Blizzard warnings have been issued as a strong winter storm hits the Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic with more snow and wind