The FOX Forecast Center is tracking a potentially historic winter storm taking shape later this week. Spanning over 2,000 miles and across more than 30 states, the storm could deliver record-setting snow and dangerous ice from the Southern Plains through the Mid-Atlantic. Forecasters say now is the time to prepare for the storm which is expected to cancel thousands of flights and knock out power in the hardest-hit areas.
If you've got travel plans this weekend, now is the time to start thinking of a backup plan. With a sprawling winter storm forecast to slam half of America, airports will be working overtime to clear snow and ice from runways and keep flights on time. But the storm will undoubtedly disrupt thousands of flights across the United States.
As of now, FlightAware reports 0 flight cancellations in and out of the U.S. on Friday. But as airlines pinpoint how the storm will impact their schedules, adjustments will be made, meaning flight cancellations will start adding up quickly.
FOX Weather is working to provide the most comprehensive winter storm coverage available to you. The team is working to deploy meteorologists and correspondents across the impact zone from the Plains to the Northeast to cover this impending storm. Live updates and around-the-clock coverage will continue through the weekend.
{{#rendered}}How much snow will New York get? Will I-95 travel come to a standstill? Are major Northeast airports going to see big cancellations? These are all questions that still need answers as the storm's evolution becomes more clear.
Forecasters are closely monitoring trends in how the different ingredients are coming together thousands of miles away from the East Coast and how computer forecast guidance is modeling those ingredients. Right now, it's still too early to say exactly how much snow will fall along I-95 in the Northeast corridor, but confidence is increasing that a plowable snow event is about to occur this weekend.
Because the track of the overall storm and its individual pieces remain unclear, there's no way to determine exactly how much snow will fall and when. The FOX Forecast Center is analyzing new forecast data this morning and will be updating the snow forecast later today.
{{#rendered}}Delta Airlines just issued a travel waiver for this weekend's impending storm. It impacts 41 airports on January 23-25.
America's next winter storm will be monstrous. According to the FOX Forecast Center, more than half of America will see snow, sleet, and/or freezing rain simultaneously when the storm reaches its peak on Sunday. Forecast trends show a growing threat farther north that could impact major cities from the Midwest to the Northeast.
{{#rendered}}With confidence increasing in a significant winter storm happening later this week, the National Weather Service has expanded its alerts across the Mid-South. Winter Storm Watches are now up for nearly 30 million Americans from New Mexico to Alabama in anticipation of snow and ice that could disrupt travel. The watch means a winter storm is possible in the next few days and provides an early warning for people to prepare. As we approach the beginning of the snow and ice, these watches will be replaced with Winter Storm Warnings.
{{#rendered}}{{#rendered}}National Weather Service offices across the Plains and Southeast are getting ahead of this week's winter storm. Winter Storm Watches are now up for 12 states, putting millions on alert for potentially disruptive winter weather that could create hazardous travel conditions. Additional alerts are expected later today.
This trend really has little to no impact on the fact that a widespread and significant winter storm is going to occur... but it does play a big factor in exactly where the rain/ice/snow lines set up.
Meteorologists at the Weather Prediction Center are weighing in on the northern shift in the computer forecast model guidance overnight. Their focus is on the energy that will phase together to spawn this monster winter storm and how that energy is still thousands of miles away. Forecasters say until this energy gets better organized and moves closer to the U.S., the exact details of where the heaviest snow and ice will accumulate won't be settled.
{{#rendered}}When you hear "winter storm," most people think of snow. But anyone in the South would tell you it's not all about the flakes. Ice is always a big concern when mild, moist air is predicted to collide with arctic air. Forecasters are warning that this week's storm could put down more than a half inch of ice in the Ark-La-Tex region stretching to the Carolinas. This dangerous ice could pull down power lines, knocking out power to thousands of people. And it could cripple communities by turning roads into an ice rink.
The FOX Forecast Center says this forecast is still subject to change, so keep watching for updates.
A sprawling winter storm is expected to dump snow across 30+ states starting on Friday and lingering into early next week. FOX Weather's latest snow forecast calls for more than a foot of snow falling in spots from Oklahoma to the Mid-Atlantic states. Forecasters say this is an early draft of what to expect this weekend as the numbers will likely go up or down as the finer details of the storm become more clear in the next 48 hours.
Forecasters are waking up and quickly assessing how computer forecast models changed overnight in their handling of this week's winter storm. As the FOX Forecast Center cautioned yesterday, this forecast is nowhere near being locked in, meaning there are some finer details that have yet to be resolved and that could have implications on the forecast itself.
The latest computer forecast guidance shifted overnight, showing the storm tracking farther north than previously modeled. This doesn't mean the South will be spared, but it could mean the far-reaching impacts are felt in areas farther north than originally expected.
FOX Weather meteorologists are analyzing this new data now to determine how this shift would impact Americans from the Plains to the Northeast. Keep watching for updates.
{{#rendered}}You can go back and see how the forecast for this winter storm has evolved with our live coverage from Tuesday.
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