First U.S. winter storm of 2023 brings snow, sleet and twister risk By Reuters

By Gabriella Borter

(Reuters) -The primary main U.S. winter storm system of the yr dumped a frosty mixture of snow, freezing rain and sleet from the Northern Plains to the Higher Nice Lakes area on Tuesday whereas posing a twister and flood risk to a big swath of the South.

The Nationwide Climate Service (NWS) forecast 1 to three inches of snow (2-1/2 to 7-1/2 cm) would fall an hour, accompanied at instances by thunder, and greater than a foot would accumulate in components of Nebraska, South Dakota and Minnesota on Tuesday.

Drifting and blowing snow from robust, gusty winds was anticipated to make street journey just about inconceivable in some areas, whereas snow fog, mist and freezing rain created treacherous driving circumstances in others, the NWS stated.

Winter storm warnings, ice storm warnings and winter climate advisories had been posted in and round Minneapolis and St. Paul in Minnesota as freezing rain swept north by the area, adopted by bands of heavy snow, in line with the NWS.

The wintry blast, anticipated to unfold into New England by Wednesday, was half of a bigger climate entrance bringing heavy showers and an opportunity of extreme thunderstorms, hail and tornadoes to the decrease Mississippi Valley, Gulf Coast, Tennessee Valley and southern Appalachians.

Twister watches and extreme thunderstorm warnings had been in impact throughout a lot of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia, together with flood watches posted alongside the southern fringe of that zone.

“It is all a part of the identical system. The heavy snowfall is happening on the west to northern facet of the storm … after which the rainfall and extreme climate is throughout the south,” NWS meteorologist Allison Santorelli stated.

Practically 200 flights by Minneapolis-St.Paul Worldwide Airport had been canceled on Tuesday, in line with flight tracker FlightAware.

On the West Coast, northern California braced for one more bout of heavy rain and flooding from an “atmospheric river” of dense moisture. It was anticipated to carry drenching rains and the potential of renewed flooding to northern and central California, beginning on Wednesday.

Heavy snow was anticipated to was anticipated to return to the Sierra Nevada mountains on Wednesday, together with coastal rain and higher-elevation snow within the Pacific Northwest.

Northern California was nonetheless recovering from a weekend Pacific storm that triggered floods, mudslides, energy outages and street closures.

Santorelli stated excessive winds accompanying the most recent batch of impending downpours may uproot timber and knock down tree limbs, inflicting extra blackouts.

As many as 21,000-plus properties and companies in northern California had been with out electrical energy by early on Tuesday, information from poweroutage.us confirmed.