EXTREME WEATHER: Powerful Storm System Blasts Western United States, Marches Eastward - Eight Killed; Hundreds Of Accidents; Widespread Snowfall, Freezing Temperatures And Gusty Winds; Will Threaten East Coast With Nightmarish Conditions During Thanksgiving Holidays!

November 24, 2013 - UNITED STATES - A powerful storm system that has caused hundreds of accidents across the Western U.S. has marched eastward with predictions of widespread snow, freezing temperatures and gusty winds.

(Weather Underground/ Associated Press ) - This NOAA satellite image taken Friday, Nov. 22, 2013 at
02:00 p.m. EST shows a storm system on the southern jet moving into the the desert southwest.This is
producing heavy rains in Arizona and heavy mountain show in New Mexico and Colorado. Dry air
wrapping into the storm is producing sunny skies in Northern California and the Pacific Northwest.

The fierce weather has caused at least eight deaths and prompted advisories Saturday afternoon in New Mexico and Texas.

As thick, gray clouds covered the Southwest, forecasters said the storm would sweep across the South and toward the Atlantic coast next week, causing problems for holiday travelers.

Joe Harris, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said the “Nordic outbreak” will “produce a mixed bag of wily weather that will end up impacting much of the nation.”

In New Mexico, authorities and residents braced for the second hit of a one-two punch that had already blanketed parts of the state with snow and freezing rain and caused a rollover accident that killed a 4-year-old girl in the eastern part of the state.

Three other storm-related deaths were reported Saturday in a crash in the Texas Panhandle involving nearly a dozen vehicles.

In California, where the storm system hit first, prompting flooding and water rescues in recent days, three deaths have been linked to the storms since Thursday, as authorities found one body near downed power lines, one man crashed his vehicle into a tree and a woman was killed when a tree fell on a parked car.

In Arizona, firefighters recovered the body of a man who was swept away by high waters Friday in the Santa Cruz River in the southern part of the state.

(San Bernardino County Fire Department/ Associated Press ) - This image provided by the San Bernardino
County Fire Department shows a traffic accident in the San Bernardino Mountains in California. The rain
throughout the West led to flooding in San Bernardino County, where five homeless people were trapped
by water and had to be rescued from the Santa Ana River, fire officials told the San Bernardino County Sun.

(Las Vegas Review-Journal, Jerry Henkel/ Associated Press ) - Curtis Raulerson, of Las Vegas, holds Maya
as Dakota follows through about nine-inch deep snow at Lee Canyon snow play area on Mt. Charleston
northwest of Las Vegas, Friday, Nov. 22, 2013. The rain was turning to heavy snow in higher elevations,
including rural eastern Nevada’s Lincoln County, where 50 to 60 cars got stranded early Friday.

(The Tribune, Laura A. Oda/ Associated Press ) - A school bus drives past a fallen eucalyptus tree in Oakland,
Calif., on Friday, Nov. 22, 2013. Three people were killed in Northern California as high winds battered
the region and caused major power outages, and fallen trees and branches.

(City of Redlands/ Associated Press ) - This Nov. 21, 2013 photo released courtesy City of Redlands
shows flooding, mud and debris on San Timoteo Canyon Road in Redlands, Calif. Firefighters
responded to dozens of calls of weather-related traffic collisions, flooding and mudslides
spurred by Thursday’s downpour in southern California.

The storm already has affected much of the Western U.S., causing hundreds of rollover accidents and prompting officials to cancel events and close roads.

In Nevada, snow in high elevations in the rural, eastern part of the state stranded dozens of cars. No fatalities were reported and authorities got the road open again by Saturday.

In Arizona, rain came down Saturday as more than 8,000 cyclists competed in the annual El Tour de Tucson. Also, high school football games, soccer tournaments and parades were cancelled across the state.


WATCH: Winter Storm Boreas Brings Rockies Snow, Texas Ice; Snow Likely for Northeast.

Forecasters said parts of both California and Arizona could expect severe weather with winter storm warnings through Saturday. Weather officials said the mountains and the Antelope Valley foothills northeast of Los Angeles were under the most risk. However, they said there was only a small chance of rainstorms like those that prompted flooding in California on Thursday.

In New Mexico, it was unclear where the heaviest bands of snow would develop, meteorologist Jennifer Palucki said.

In Texas, freezing rain and cold temperatures have already hampered travel and much of the “heavy stuff” will hit south of I-20, Harris said. Several traffic accidents were reported Saturday, including the fatal crash late Friday that also left several injured hurt in Vega, about 30 miles west Amarillo, and one that injured three members of singer Willie Nelson’s band when their bus struck a pillar near Sulphur Springs, north of Dallas. - Washington Post.

Major East Coast Winter Storm To Threaten Millions During Thanksgiving.

A major winter storm will unfold across the East Coast on Wednesday, threatening to create a nightmare for the millions of Thanksgiving holiday travelers--even those elsewhere in the U.S.

The same storm bringing snow and ice to New Mexico and the southern Plains to close out the weekend is set to spread heavy rain across the South and I-95 corridor Tuesday through Wednesday.

The storm has already been blamed for the deaths of eight people across the Southwest since Thursday, according to the Associated Press.

Substantial snow will unfold from the spine of the Appalachians to the St. Lawrence Valley and far northern New England.

"The potential exists for a foot of snow to fall from Bradford, Pa., to Burlington, Vt.," stated AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Eric Wanenchak.

The timing of the impending winter storm could not come at a worst time with AAA projecting 43.4 million travelers during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

"The Wednesday before Thanksgiving will be the busiest single day of travel with 37 percent of travelers departing for trips Nov. 27," AAA stated in a press release.

Heavy Rain for I-95 Corridor Wednesday

Heavy rain set to inundate the South on Tuesday will spread across the Carolinas and up the Northeast's I-95 corridor late Tuesday through Wednesday to Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York City and Boston.

Even without snow in the forecast, AccuWeather.com Expert Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski stated, "[The rain] would be enough to slow travel on the highways and delay a number of flights."

Water ponding on roadways heightens the danger of vehicles hydroplaning when traveling at highway speeds, while downpours threaten to dramatically reduce visibility for motorists.

"Gusty winds would also factor in to delays along the coast," Sosnowski continued.

Worsening the situation is the fact that the rain will be heavy enough to trigger flash flooding in some communities. Coastal flooding is another concern along the Northeast coast.

Snow from the Appalachians to St. Lawrence Valley

Current indications put the corridor from the spine of the Appalachians to the St. Lawrence Valley and far northern New England at risk for travel-disrupting snow from this midweek winter storm.

The storm will likely be an all-snow event across northwestern Pennsylvania and western New York to west of Montreal, Canada.

The rest of the area will see both rain and snow (likely the snow at the storm's onset, when sleet is possible in some communities, and backside). The timing of the final changeover to snow will range from late Tuesday night in the southern Appalachians to Wednesday night in the St. Lawrence Valley and far northern New England.

Snow amounts will be substantial enough to clog roads and create treacherous and slippery travel. As the storm strengthens on Wednesday, gusty winds will follow suit and whip the snow around--further reducing visibility for motorists.

In addition to Bradford and Burlington, the worst of the snowstorm may center on Syracuse, Montreal and stretches of Interstates 81, 86, 88, 87, 89 and 90. The snow will total 6 to 12 inches in this zone with locally higher amounts.

East of the heaviest snow zone, there could be a changeover from rain to a few inches of snow and slick travel along the I-81 corridor from Virginia to Pennsylvania and northeastward to Albany, N.Y., and central Maine.

AccuWeather.com meteorologists do not expect snow to reach the I-95 corridor.

Southern Rain, Thunderstorms, Wind

Rain and thunderstorms developing along the western Gulf Coast on Monday will spread eastward across the Deep South Monday night and to the Southeast and southern mid-Atlantic on Tuesday.

Travel delays on the I-10 and I-20 corridors are in store from Louisiana to Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and northern Florida from rain-soaked highways and poor visibility from downpours.

The soaking rain and low-hanging clouds could delay flights at New Orleans, Atlanta, Charlotte and other airports in the region for travelers heading to their Thanksgiving destinations early.

Across southern Georgia and Florida, there is concern for the thunderstorms to turn severe Tuesday through Tuesday night.

As the worst of the storm shifts to the Northeast, more travel problems may unfold in the South on Wednesday due to lingering rain, wind and gusty winds.

Rest of the Nation

Much of the rest of the nation will have good travel conditions.

Beware, aircraft and flight crews originating from the South and Northeast could be delayed, perhaps causing ripple-effect problems with a few flights throughout the nation.

There will be bands of lake-effect snow over the Upper Midwest, due to fresh cold air moving in Tuesday and Wednesday. The lake-effect snow will gradually wind down in many locations on Thanksgiving Day.

While odds favor the snow streaming over areas south to southeast of the lakes, there is some concern lake-effect snow will sneak into Chicago and cause issues at O'Hare International Airport on Wednesday. - AccuWeather.