A massive snowstorm will deliver a white Christmas to the American midwest, meteorologists predict, but the east coast can expect a soggy holiday and high winds that could threaten travel plans.
Meteorologists at AccuWeather have forecast a major storm on Christmas Eve that will bring heavy snow to the midwest as strong winds carry the system quickly across the Mississippi. Snow showers will likely fall in Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, bringing appropriately festive weather to Chicago and Detroit.
The heaviest snow will likely fall on northern Michigan and western Pennsylvania, at the massive storm’s center around the eastern Great Lakes.
But the storm looks to bring only wet and potentially dangerous weather as it moves to the east coast. The meteorologists predict a cold and torrential deluge for eastern states from Virginia to Maine, carried by strong winds sweeping in over the Appalachian mountains.
Those winds will collide with others moving opposite from the Atlantic, increasing the likelihood for thunderstorms along the coast as far south as North Carolina. Cities in the middle, like New York and Philadelphia, will likely receive the worst of the windy downpour.
As warm air moves in over cold ground, fog could also pose a problem for the northeast, AccuWeather weather expert Dave Dombek predicted.
The weather service also warns that the strong winds could disrupt flights and even road travel, as they whip heavy rainfall into gusts and sheets that batter windshields and ruin visibility. Airports that could be affected include major travel hubs like New York, Chicago, Washington DC and Atlanta.
Slick roads and some flooding may also impede those trying to drive through the storm to and from their holidays.
Snowy Decembers, though uncommon on much of the east coast, are historically the average for the midwest: areas around Chicago, Minneapolis and Maine have more than a 50% chance of a white Christmas on any given year, according to Noaa.
And while Americans struggle through wet and windy weather, Canadians looks set to enjoy yet another white Christmas. The storm system that will develop next week will both bring in snow from the north and curve back toward Ottawa, with Toronto near the storm’s most intense center.
The National Weather Service and AccuWeather recommend holiday travel well in advance of 24 December and after Christmas Day.
