Blizzard conditions possible in the Midwest and Northeast: weather updates

The next wave of lake-effect snow hit parts of the country’s northern mountain range on Wednesday as the line of storms stretched into its seventh day and snowfall totals exceeded 1.5 meters in some areas.

Heavy “lake-enhanced” snowfall was forecast for Wednesday and Thursday downwind of Lakes Erie and Ontario, the National Weather Service said in an update, adding that heavy snowfall was also expected over parts of northern New England. The strong winds could cause blizzards in some areas.

In Erie (Pennsylvania), where up to 1.5 meters of snow has already flooded the region, another 60 centimeters is possible by Friday, the weather service said. In Watertown, NY, which also saw snowfall in recent days, the outlook was slightly better – up to 10 inches of additional snow was predicted.

Parts of Michigan where an additional foot or more of snow fell in the last 24 hours could see another 6 inches or more.

Winter Storm Updates:The lake effect snow isn’t going away anytime soon; 5 feet of snow in a week

Developments:

∎ The biting cold that has gripped much of the Midwest and Northeast has been fueled by a new wave of arctic air. But forecasters said the front would move through much faster than the cold snap that lasted through much of the long Thanksgiving weekend and into early this week. Warmer temperatures should break through this weekend.

∎ The cold air will move east and south. Temperatures will be 10 to 15 degrees below average in parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, the weather service warned. However, a warm-up is forecast for early next week.

Schools were closed for days in many parts of the region

The snow has led to school closures across the region for several days. Students and parents in dozens of districts are waiting for daily notifications as teachers and administrators try to shorten school days when possible. In Erie, all public schools were closed and classes suspended Wednesday “as city road crews continue to clear streets. Wednesday will not be a flexible instruction day; there will be no in-person or virtual instruction.”

Texas belts due to power grid overload

The extreme cold blasts predicted for Texas this winter could test the state’s power grid in early 2025 in a similar way to four years ago, the grid operator’s chief meteorologist said Tuesday. Storm Uri caused power outages in millions of homes and businesses in Texas and killed at least 240 people. The impact of Uri prompted Texas to begin overhauling its grid to increase reliability.

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