Major winter storm brewing in the Northeast
More than 70 million people are under weather alerts, from Tennessee to Maine, as a major winter storm is expected to bring snow and ice Sunday into Monday morning.
Winter storm warnings are in effect for 15 states, affecting cities including Philadelphia, Boston, Hartford, Albany and Providence.
In addition, a less severe winter weather advisory is in effect for many major cities, including Baltimore, New York City and Washington, D.C.
Meanwhile, an arctic blast is spreading southward across much of the country throughout the next few days. Half of the American population -- 165 million Americans across 36 states -- are under cold weather alerts from the Northwest to the Southeast.
Wind chills will be dropping far below zero in cities like Chicago, Minneapolis and Pittsburgh by Monday.
Even in Washington, D.C., the wind chill could drop to near zero on Monday and Tuesday.
Citing weather-related reasons, the Trump administration has moved inauguration for President-elect Donald Trump indoors to the Capitol Rotunda in a process that has not been implemented since the start of Ronald Reagan's second term in 1985.
Washington, D.C., has been near the freezing line all Sunday and thus far hasn’t seen much snow. There likely will be an inch or two of snow on Sunday evening before the storm exits that area around 8:00 p.m.
This cold weather is expected to reach the Gulf Coast on Tuesday, with wind chills falling below 20 degrees as far south as Houston.
Parts of North Dakota and northern Minnesota, including Fargo, are warned for wind chills of 55 degrees below zero. This can create frost bite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes.
Other cities, like Chicago, will feel like -20s, Denver around -10, NYC feeling just below zero, and Houston and the Gulf Coast feeling like 10s.
Snow-covered roads and poor visibility could lead to tough travel during the storm in the Northeast, especially Sunday evening.
After the sun goes down, the likelihood of slippery travel increases, especially during the heavier bands of snow.
By late Sunday night, most of the snow will come to an end, but there could be lingering slick spots on the roads into Monday morning.
Between 4 and 8 inches of snowfall are expected from the central Appalachians through New England, with some portions of interior New England possibly getting a foot of snow.
New York City can expect 3 to 6 inches of snow, but there could be a sharp difference in snow totals across the NYC area due to sleet mixing in with the snow Sunday afternoon. It may be the biggest single-day snowfall for the city since Jan. 2022.
Philadelphia is expecting 4 to 6 inches with snow exiting around 9:00 p.m. Sunday evening.
After the snow moves out, cold weather is forecast to roll in on Monday and stick around affected areas for much of the upcoming week.
