Large winter storms could hit eastern America

(CNN) – More than 50 million people are on alert A dangerous system Over the next 3 days it will move from Central America to the South and Northeast.

The current low pressure area in the Central Plains will begin to enter the Mississippi Valley on Friday night. On Saturday, the depression will slowly pass through the southeast and finally head north over the eastern seaboard.

Rain, snow, drizzle or frost – how can it all be in 24 hours? It will be the same in some states this weekend.

Therefore, we will break down the potential dangers in each region.

Snow Forecast: To see how much snow is expected in your area, look at these maps.

Upper Midwest to Central Mississippi Valley

The storm will move through parts of the Midwest and central Mississippi Valley today, reducing snowfall by up to a foot.

Wind will blow in these areas, which can lead to snowfall and poor visibility.

“The impacts of the trip are expected to be significant at times, especially during afternoon school trips and night trips,” the National Weather Service (NWS) office said. In Des Moines.

6 to 12 inches of snow is expected in parts of Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota.

From there, the system will travel south to the cities of Muki, Missouri, Arkansas and Kansas.

“The faster the surface temperature drops below freezing, the more likely it is that rain will play a major role in determining how quickly snow will accumulate.” Said the NWS office in Tobago, Kansas.

The Southeast has a mix of everything

For most of the Southeast, the system will begin to rain on Saturday. As the temperature drops, that rain turns into frost, snow, and eventually snow in many places.

Predicting winter weather in the Southeast is never easy because the weather is often short.

“These different types of winter rainfall are very sensitive to small changes,” said Kyle Thim, a meteorologist with the NWS office in Atlanta. “One or two degree shift represents the difference between relatively harmless rain and staggering accumulations of snow and ice.”

However, it is the system’s slow forward speed that provides the system for the freezing snowstorm that can leave millions without electricity.

In cities such as Charlotte and Colombia, the Carolinas are more likely to experience ice, with up to 1.2 centimeters of ice accumulating.

The NWS office in Greenville, South Carolina, warns that ice dams east of I-85, including Spartanburg, South Carolina and Salisbury in North Carolina, could become more dangerous. This includes the entire Charlotte metro area.

In the southern Appalachian Mountains, the total height of the ice increases rapidly. Asheville, North Carolina, for example, is projected to rise 8 to 12 inches, but can rise as high as 20 inches above 4,000 feet.

Winter storms in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast

Winter storms will make landfall on the east coast on Sunday and Monday, with more than 12 inches of snow expected in some places.

Major cities such as Washington, Philadelphia, New York and Boston will experience some snowfall, but a change in rainfall will stop the accumulation.

“At this time, as the storm moves into the area on Sunday afternoon, there is a chance of heavy snowfall in the foreground, followed by overnight snowfall and light rain in areas east of I-95.” , Said the NWS office in Baltimore Friday morning. “At this time, icing is not expected to reach our far western parts, where snowfall of 12 inches or more is possible.”

Cities such as Charleston, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Syracuse and Burlington, Vermont will experience heavy snowfall.

What helps the Northeast is that long before most of the snow comes, there will be very cold winds and dangerous air cooling.

Air cold warnings are in effect for more than 20 million people this Friday and Saturday as temperatures in New England drop below 40 to 42 below zero.

The NWS warns that “dangerous cold winds can cause frostbite on exposed skin within 10 minutes”.

CNN meteorologists Chad Myers, Dave Hennan and Monica Garrett contributed to the story.