A surge of cold Arctic air is expected to move through western Canada and some areas of the US at the beginning of this week, resulting in a prolonged period of low temperatures that may continue for the rest of the week and potentially longer.
Temperatures in western Canada are expected to drop significantly by Wednesday, possibly reaching 10-15C below the usual seasonal average. Calgary and Edmonton may experience minimum temperatures as low as -30C by Friday, and some rural areas could even see even colder temperatures. On the other hand, the east coast will see warmer temperatures, with Ottawa reaching highs of approximately 5C, which is almost 10C higher than the seasonal average. The cold weather will also affect parts of the northern and western United States by Friday, with temperatures expected to be 5-15C below average.
Over the past few days and continuing into this week, three storm systems have impacted the United States. The initial one affected the north-eastern region, resulting in winter storm alerts being issued for approximately 40 million people in New England and the northern mid-Atlantic areas on Saturday afternoon through Sunday. The National Weather Service predicts that areas in the north-east and central Appalachians may receive 4-8 inches (10-20cm) of snow on Sunday. Additionally, some parts of the upper Hudson River valley have already reported 6-12 inches of snow as of Sunday.
A second storm is forecast to impact the Rockies later in the weekend, resulting in significant snowfall and strong winds across the plains and midwest in the beginning of the week. The heaviest snowfall is anticipated in the midwest, with potential accumulations of up to 12 inches, while at least 6 inches is expected from northern New Mexico to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. This combination of heavy snow and gusty winds reaching speeds of over 50mph will create extremely hazardous travel conditions and possibly limited visibility.
The third storm system entered the Pacific northwest on Sunday night, bringing with it intense rain along the coast, snow in the mountains, and powerful winds that will continue through the middle of the week. This particular winter storm is expected to dump multiple feet of snow on the Washington and Oregon Cascades, with the peak occurring on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Source: theguardian.com
