Category: Weather & Traffic

Editors Note UPDATES: This story has been updated with sheriff’s deputy in Keithsville area, where trees were ripped from the ground; Gov. Edwards scheduled to tour damage; suspected tornado damaging Louisiana hospital. Moves dateline to Keithsville, Louisiana. Edits throughout. With AP Photos. AP Audio. AP Video.

By JAKE BLEIBERG and KEVIN MCGILL
Associated Press

KEITHSVILLE, La. (AP) _ A volatile storm ripping across the U.S. spawned tornadoes that killed a young boy and his mother in Louisiana, smashed mobile homes and chicken houses in Mississippi and threatened neighboring Southern states with more punishing weather Wednesday.

To the north, the huge storm system delivered blizzard-like conditions to the Great Plains and was expected to push more snow and ice into Appalachia and New England. The wintery blast dumped more than 2 feet (61 centimeters) of snow in parts of South Dakota.

In northern Louisiana, it took hours for authorities to find the bodies of a mother and child reported missing after a tornado struck the rural Keithville community near Shreveport on Tuesday afternoon.

The Caddo Parish Coroner’s Office said the body of 8-year-old Nikolus Little was found around 11 p.m. Tuesday in a wooded area. His mother, Yoshiko A. Smith, 30, was found dead under storm debris around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Sheriff Steve Prator said their home was destroyed and the boy ended up a half-mile away, while his mother’s body was discovered one street over from where their mobile home stood. When deputies arrived at their address, they found nothing but a concrete slab, said sheriff’s Sgt. Casey Jones.

“I wouldn’t even know if they knew a house was there to begin with,” Jones told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

The forecast Wednesday called for more severe storms with additional tornadoes expected across an area of the Gulf Coast region populated by nearly 3 million people from New Orleans to Mobile, Alabama. More damaging weather was possible in the Florida panhandle.

A steady stream of tornado warnings were issued Wednesday across portions of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

In Keithsville, Louisiana, where the two deaths occurred, sheriff’s deputies restricted access to the area where the suspected tornado touched down. Downed trees, some that appeared to be ripped up by their roots, littered the landscape. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards planned to tour the area Wednesday afternoon.

“I am heartbroken to learn of the mother and child who were killed in Southwest Caddo Parish due to one of numerous reported tornadoes,” Edwards said in a statement as he declared a state of emergency Wednesday, saying at least six tornadoes had touched down in several parishes.

In Union Parish, on Louisiana’s northern border with Arkansas, Farmerville Mayor John Crow said a Tuesday night tornado badly damaged an apartment complex where 50 families lived and wiped out a neighboring trailer park with about 10 homes. “It happened quick,” Crow said Wednesday, adding that about 30 homes were damaged along nearby Lake D’Arbonne.

Shannon Futch, Union Parish’s emergency director, said there were reports of numerous people treated for cuts and bruises and at least two people hospitalized after a twister cut a swath of damage about 5 miles (8 kilometers) long, toppling trees onto about a dozen houses.

“Some people even stayed the night in their houses that had big pine trees on them,” Futch said. “They didn’t have anywhere to go.”

A suspected tornado reported in New Iberia in southwest Louisiana damaged several buildings on the campus of New Iberia Medical Center, hospital officials said, and left five people with minor injuries.

In neighboring Mississippi, suspected tornado destroyed four large chicken houses _ one of which held 5,000 roosters _ in Rankin County, Mississippi, Sheriff Bryan Bailey said. Mobile homes at a park in Sharkey County, Mississppi, were reduced to piles of shredded debris. Resident Leslie Jackson told WLBT-TV her home was one of only a couple left standing.

A line of thunderstorms sweeping through Texas spawned tornadoes Tuesday and damaged dozens of homes and businesses. At least five people were injured In the Dallas suburb of Grapevine, police spokesperson Amanda McNew said. A possible tornado blew the roof off the city’s municipal service center, leaving debris hanging from powerlines.

Icy weather from the huge storm was expected to affect the U.S. from coast to coast. It began by dumping heavy snow in the Sierra Nevada and was predicted to bring ice and snow to the eastern U.S. in the coming days.

“This system is notable for the fact that it’s going impact areas all the way from California to eventually the Northeast,” said Frank Pereira, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland.

In the Black Hills of western South Dakota, snow piled up to nearly 2 feet (61 centimeters) in some mountainous communities.

“They shovel for hours on end,” said Vicki Weekly, who manages a historic hotel in the tourist and gambling city of Deadwood, where a few visitors were still venturing out to hit the casinos.

Interstate 90, spanning the western half of South Dakota, remained closed Wednesday and the state Department of Transportation warned drivers to stay off most highways. In North Dakota, accumulated snow caused authorities Tuesday evening to shut down Interstate 94 between Bismarck and Fargo, the Bismarck Tribune reported.

Wet, heavy snow left tree limbs sagging and made driving treacherous Wednesday in northern Minnesota. Weather Service meteorologist Ketzel Levens in Duluth said snow had reached 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 centimeters) in some parts of the region.

Forecasters expect the storm system to hobble the upper Midwest with ice, rain and snow for days, as well as move into the Northeast and central Appalachians. The National Weather Service issued a winter storm watch from Wednesday night through Friday afternoon, depending on the timing of the storm. Residents from West Virginia to Vermont were told to watch for a possible significant mix of snow, ice and sleet.

Multiple days of extreme weather are expected next week as a sizable and potent storm system navigates its way across the country.

AccuWeather Global Weather Center – December 9, 2022 – An enormous cross-country storm is likely to be at its worst over the central United States early next week when a potential tornado outbreak may occur at the same time a blizzard rages about 1,000 miles farther to the north, AccuWeather meteorologists warn.

The same storm will also raise the risk of flooding in the Tennessee Valley, causing temperatures to plunge and winds to howl in the Southwest. It could even spread some snow and ice into the Northeast later in the week.

“You name it, this storm will bring it in terms of wild weather next week,” AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said.

Much of the extreme weather will occur during the three-day period from Monday to Wednesday in the middle of the nation.

The storm will be in a strengthening phase as it pushes onshore and moves inland over the Pacific Coast states this weekend. Many low-elevation areas from western Washington to Southern California will be drenched by heavy rain as feet of snow pile up in the mountains.

Heavy snow to evolve into blizzard as winds howl

The storm system will spread broad areas of heavy snow and gusty winds over the Intermountain West later this weekend and into early next week before it expands across the northern Plains.

Several inches will pile up in the major metro area of Salt Lake City, as well as Flagstaff, Arizona, from the storm. Blowing and drifting snow on top of the heavy accumulation will lead to difficult travel even outside of the major mountain passes in the region.

The full fury of the storm’s wintry side will be on display from later Monday to Wednesday across the Great Plains. Temperatures will drop, and snow will expand from parts of Colorado to the Dakotas and northern Minnesota.

For example, in Rapid City, South Dakota, temperatures will plummet from the mid-50s on Sunday to the teens on Monday night and remain there through Tuesday and Wednesday as winds gusts of between 30 and 60 mph howl and snow spreads through the area.

While the worst of the snowstorm may occur to the north and west of Denver, blizzard conditions will unfold over tens of thousands of square miles from parts of Colorado, Wyoming and Montana to near the Canada border in North Dakota and Minnesota.

The extensive blowing of the dry, powdery snow is likely to create massive drifts that can block roads and strand motorists along vast portions of interstates 25, 29, 70, 80, 90 and 94, forecasters say.

Tornadoes, flooding likely on the storm’s warm side

About 500 to 1,000 miles farther to the south, a significant risk to lives and property will unfold as thunderstorms erupt, become severe and likely unleash multiple tornadoes.

“It does not matter what time of time of the year it is for severe weather,” Rayno said. “If the ingredients are there, then severe weather can occur any time of the year.”

Last year, on Dec. 10-11, 2021, a swarm of tornadoes struck part of the Mississippi Valley, killing dozens of people and injuring numerous others.

As stiff breezes rapidly transport Gulf of Mexico moisture northward next week, stronger and shifting winds higher up in the atmosphere will cause thunderstorms to rotate. Rotating thunderstorms can carry a high risk of spawning tornadoes.

Surging humidity levels, combined with an incredible amount of jet stream energy, will lead to a major severe weather outbreak, according to Rayno.

As if the risk of multiple strong tornadoes was not serious enough, a number of the violent storms are likely to occur after dark on both Monday and Tuesday nights. This means that millions of people in the path of the storm should closely monitor severe weather alerts as visual confirmation of tornadoes on the ground may not be possible in every case.

Following a few scattered thunderstorms this weekend from central Texas to Tennessee, severe thunderstorms will ramp up on Monday afternoon from north-central Texas to western and central Oklahoma. All types of severe weather are possible in this zone that will focus on an area just west of the major metro areas of Oklahoma City and Dallas. Potent storms could wander into these locations prior to daybreak on Tuesday, forecasters warn.

Tornadoes, blizzard conditions, floods all possible from upcoming massive storm in central US (Full Story) >>

The Old Farmer’s Almanac releases Christmas Day forecast ahead of winter’s arrival on December 21st

In the U.S., The Old Farmer’s Almanac’s famous long-range predictions are forecasting snow for much of the country over Christmas week. 

In most regions, periods of snow showers or flurries are expected to occur in the days leading up to Christmas, which means that many folks will be able to enjoy a Whitte Christmas! Looming rain threatens to make it a wash down the West Coast and across the South, however. 

–In the Northeast, Lower Lakes, Upper Midwest, Heartland, High Plains, Intermountain, and Alaska, expect snow showers in the days leading up to Christmas with temperatures trending colder. 

–Rain showers will turn to snow flurries around Christmas in the Atlantic Corridor, Appalachians, and Ohio Valley.

–Expect rain showers around the holiday in Florida and the Southeast, accompanied by cool, seasonable weather. 

–The Deep South and Texas-Oklahoma will be blessed with sunny skies around Christmas, accompanied by chilly temperatures in the Deep South but milder weather in Texas-Oklahoma. 

–The Desert Southwest looks like it wants to have a bit of everything, with snow showers in store for the eastern half of the region and rain the west. 

–In the Pacific Northwest, rainy periods will occasionally turn to wet snow, accompanied by cold temperatures. In the Pacific Southwest, that snow will be rain instead. 

–The eastern and western island of Hawaii should expect rain showers for Christmas with isolated showers occurring in the central part of the archipelago. 

In Canada, snow will be on the ground (or at least in the air) for Christmas Day in Southern Ontario,Southern Quebec, the Prairies, and Southern British Columbia, as well as way up north in the Yukon and Northwest Territories. 

In Atlantic Canada, rain will plague the days leading up to Christmas, but snow is likely to make an appearance on the holiday itself. 

Check out where snow is most historically likely to fall (or be on the ground) on Christmas Day!

The first day of winter 2022 is on Wednesday, December 21! The Old Farmer’s Almanac winter 2022-2023 forecast tells A Tale of Two Winters. 

AccuWeather meteorologists issued their annual ski season forecast, highlighting that this winter could be “very interesting” for skiers in one of the most populated regions of the country.

AccuWeather Global Weather Center – November 21, 2022 – The wait is finally over for skiers and snowboarders across the United States as snow has returned and a new ski season is underway, although AccuWeather forecasters warn that some popular mountains could be hurting for snow in the coming months.

Ski resorts across the country are starting to open for the season, thanks in part to La Niña. La Niña influences the storm track across the United States, and during the colder months, it can dictate where snow falls and how frequently powder blankets the ski slopes.

A person skiing down a snowy mountainside. (Getty Images/Daniel Milchev)

“The areas that [have been] getting hit hard over the past couple of weeks have been the Cascades, the Sierra and into the central Rockies,” AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok explained.

After an unusually warm start to November across the Northeast, it has turned dramatically colder in the region since the middle of the month as Arctic air flowed in from Canada. The frigid air allowed some ski resorts to make artificial snow to allow skiers to hit the slopes before Thanksgiving. The recent bouts of lake-effect snow have also laid down a solid base for resorts across New York and Michigan.

Skiers and snowboarders looking to experience the best conditions in the country might want to consider traveling to resorts in Washington or Oregon.

“The best ski conditions this winter [are] probably going to end up being of course across the Northwest,” Pastelok explained. Good skiing conditions are also predicted across the Rocky Mountains from Canada down through Colorado.

Forecasters say that it will not be a great winter for skiing across California, Utah and Arizona, but it won’t be a bad season either. Storms will occasionally track over this region of the Western U.S., laying down blankets of snow over ski resorts, but spells of dry weather between the snowstorms could impact the slopes.

Pastelok cautioned that periods of warmer weather throughout the season could affect the snow quality at the bases of the ski slopes.

Folks across the eastern United States who do not want to travel across the country to ski will still have plenty of opportunities to hit the slopes this winter, although some patience may be required.

“The back end of the season could be very interesting for the Northeast,” Pastelok said, adding that there could be some bigger snowstorms over the region during the second half of the winter.

Resorts from North Carolina through Pennsylvania could have to lean on artificial snow during the first half of the winter until the stormy pattern develops during the latter part of the season.

Farther north in New York and into New England, the season as a whole is forecast to be good, although Pastelok stated that early snowpacks could turn icy by the middle of the winter.

Even better ski conditions are in the forecast across the Midwest, especially in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.

Pastelok said that these areas could “get hit pretty hard” with snow early in the season, laying down a solid base of snow that will stay intact throughout most or all of the winter.

Where in US will Old Man Winter serve up the best skiing conditions this season? (Full Story) >>

AccuWeather forecasters say a wide-ranging storm could develop and move across the country, just in time to disrupt travelers on Thanksgiving and in the days immediately after the holiday.

AccuWeather Global Weather Center–November 17, 2022 – AccuWeather meteorologists are monitoring the potential for a significant storm to cause a slew of hazards across the eastern United States, including heavy rain, snow and gusty winds, next week with the potential for holiday travel disruptions in the days leading up to Thanksgiving — and impacts may continue beyond the holiday as well.

The adverse weather will initially develop as two smaller storms form and travel thousands of miles, impacting millions of people around the holiday from the nation’s midsection to the East Coast. Travelers in parts of the Midwest and Northeast may need to factor in the potential for wintry weather in their travel plans later in the week.

For those getting a head start on their holiday travel this weekend into Monday, people in a large swath of the nation will enjoy quiet weather conditions, and the vast majority of people will encounter few weather-related travel issues.

One of the ingredients for this potentially significant storm, an area of low pressure, will start to impact travelers beginning on Tuesday. Heavy rain and mountain snow will move into the Northwest and western Canada. This part of the storm will pack most of the energy needed for the bigger storm to form later in the week.

On Wednesday, the second ingredient, moisture emerging from the Gulf of Mexico, will help spark showers and thunderstorms across eastern Texas and the lower Mississippi Valley, slowing pre-Thanksgiving travel there, including in Houston and Dallas.

Those two separate systems will begin to combine into a larger storm over the Midwest, Mississippi and Ohio valleys and parts of the South on Thanksgiving.

Thunderstorms packing torrential downpours will make for a soggy Turkey Day in cities such as Lake Charles and New Orleans, Louisiana, and Jackson, Mississippi. Meanwhile, snow showers will make for a wintry scene and slick roads in parts of the northern Plains and Upper Midwest, including in Minneapolis and Duluth, Minnesota.

While the strength and positioning of any developing storm are still uncertain a week out, there is the potential for further strengthening to occur as the storm reaches the Atlantic coast around Friday. Combined with fresh cold air rushing in from Canada, a swath of snow can interrupt post-Thanksgiving travel in parts of the Great Lakes and interior Northeast from Friday into next weekend.

Impacts can also occur along the coast, from the Carolinas to New England, including strong winds, high waves and tidal flooding, as the storm strengthens offshore.

If the two storms end up being weaker or the colder air ends up pushing farther south, the ingredients may not come together in the right position or in time to produce significant travel-impacting precipitation in the East.

Regardless, travelers should plan in advance for the potential of flight delays or cancellations at major airports, including Chicago-O’Hare, Atlanta-Hartsfield and the airports in the New York City tri-state area, as well as slow travel on major highways such as interstates 40, 70, 80, 90 and 95.

The potential for more snow in the Great Lakes will come in the wake of a major lake-effect snow event late this week and weekend, where several feet of snow is expected to accumulate, including in Buffalo.

Developing storm could wreak havoc on travel around Thanksgiving (Full Story) >>

Winter is set to commence in the Rockies and Midwest this week as a strong storm brings blizzard conditions and bountiful snowfall to the region.

AccuWeather Global Weather Center – November 7, 2022 –The same storm that is expected to bring substantial rain, mountain snow and cold air to California through Tuesday will strengthen as it swings east across the Colorado Rockies and into the northern Plains. Impending blizzard conditions and hefty snow accumulations could unfold from South Dakota into northern Minnesota, while a mix of rain, snow and sleet may cause difficult travel farther south, AccuWeather forecasters warn.

Before the storm reaches the Rockies and northern Plains, it is expected to unleash feet of mountain snow across the Sierra Nevada range in California through Tuesday night and the Wasatch range in Utah midweek. AccuWeather meteorologists say that Donner Pass in particular is likely to receive a staggering amount of snow in a relatively short period of time this week, with several feet of snow likely causing the mountain pass to be shut down to all travel.

As the storm moves out of the southwestern United States Wednesday night into Thursday, it is expected to intensify.

“This will be the first major snowstorm of the season for the northern Plains and the combination of heavy snow, powerful winds and low visibility will result in hazardous travel,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brian Wimer explained.

Cities such as Fargo and Bismarck, North Dakota, and Rapid City, South Dakota, could be in line to receive blizzard conditions as winds whip across the region Thursday night into Friday with blowing and drifting snow.

It is possible the storm exceeds the blizzard criteria of one-quarter-mile visibility or less with winds of 35 mph or greater for three consecutive hours. Should the storm develop to its full potential, gusts may frequent 50 mph with near-zero visibility in some cases over parts of the northern Rockies and Plains.

Travel will be nearly impossible along portions of Interstates 29, 90 and 94. Winds may gust past 50 mph at times, creating whiteout conditions. This may impact the commute home from work on Thursday evening and the morning commute on Friday. Travelers should also prepare for widespread flight delays and cancellations at airports across the region.

“Any unnecessary travel is not advised in this region, especially later Thursday afternoon through Friday morning,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson said.

Accumulations between 6 and 12 inches are expected from portions of the Colorado Rockies and northern Wyoming through northern Minnesota. A wide swath of 12 to 18 inches of snowfall is expected from western South Dakota into northwestern Minnesota with the highest snow accumulations in this zone approaching an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 36 inches.

Billings, Montana, will be on the northern edge of the snow with forecasters predicting 1 to 3 inches in the city. Casper, Wyoming, is predicted to pick up 3 to 6 inches, while accumulations in Rapid City could total around a foot.

In addition to the snow, cold air is expected to blast into portions of eastern Montana through the Dakotas Thursday night into early Friday where AccuWeather RealFeel® temperatures will likely be below zero.

“Farther south and east, enough warmer air may move in aloft to produce a narrow band of sleet and freezing rain from South Dakota to Minnesota Thursday into Thursday night, which may lead to icy roadways,” Anderson explained.

1st blizzard of the season to blow across Rockies into Plains (Full Story) >>