Snow and Ice Glaze the U.S. Northern Tier Into the Weekend
Winter bites back into the nation through the weekend as separate wintry weather disturbances line the northernmost states.
Beginning in the Northwest, a series of disturbances will funnel Pacific moisture across the Northwestern from today through Sunday night, shifting eastward across the Rockies as the weekend progresses. Only the highest peaks of the Cascades will surpass 8 inches of snow, but many Rocky slopes will reach 8-12 inches by Sunday night to keep ski season alive. Lesser snow amounts up to 4 inches will be more common along the Rocky mid-elevations, Cascades, and the Sierra Nevada Range. A wintry mix is likely at varying mid-elevations.
East of the Rockies, cold air makes a resurgence southward into the north-central Plains, all thanks to a new storm system spawning on Saturday. As a result, snow squalls are set to launch across its northern and western peripheries, targeting South Dakota and central Minnesota to areas around Lake Superior. Widespread totals of 6 to 10 inches will line the region. Localized totals exceeding a foot for the weekend will be expected, especially west of Lake Superior where March closes to snow totals commonly surpassing the mark of 18 inches!
Despite massive snow piles in the Upper Midwest under its end of end-of-weekend storm, what will be the most worrying system, particularly for commuters, will be the preceding clipper storm. Under this system, a tight linear snow squall shifts away from Maine before Sunday arrives. Blankets as deep as 8 to 12 inches will be dumped over the interior Northeast's ranges, with 2 to 8 inches falling between the mountains and lighter totals at the squall's extremities.
However, problematic ice accumulations will be the main threat brought by the clipper, with additional totals brought later by the Plains' burgeoning storm system.
Ice begins to build into regions surrounding Lake Superior by Friday evening and in the Northeast through Saturday, coating the area in a glaze that could ice roadways and slicken sidewalks. This glaze will not have a chance to melt by late Saturday evening through Sunday night, when a new warm front ices the corridor even further.
When all is said and done, ice accumulations exceeding half an inch could cripple powerlines and halt road travel through localities in both Michigan's Upper Peninsula as well as in upstate New York, Vermont and New Hampshire. Lesser accumulations of ice, to the mark of about a quarter inch, will be more widespread, but this total will still halt road travel and down trees. Simple glazes of a tenth of an inch or less will only create minor issues closer to Minnesota as well as in Maine.
Currently, Ice Storm Warnings cover most of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and Winter Weather Advisories line from far northeastern Montana into Vermont. Winter Storm Watches have also been posted for north-central Wisconsin, New Hampshire, and western Maine.
