Back-to-back-to-back snowstorms will slam parts of the U.S. today – Friday, November 8 – through this weekend. From the peaks of the northern Rockies to the prairies of the upper Midwest, drivers will have to deal with plenty of slick roads and perhaps reduced visibility from time to time. Shippers should expect short-term delays in freight movement due to potential traffic issues or roadblocks.
Round one
The lake effect snow machine keeps cranking today across portions of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, northern lower Michigan, northwestern Pennsylvania and western New York state. An additional one to three inches are likely on the I-90 corridor from Erie, Pennsylvania to just south of Buffalo, New York, on I-76 from Erie southward to Meadville, Pennsylvania, and in areas north of Traverse City on US-31 in lower Michigan. The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for some of these areas, housed inside the FreightWaves SONAR Critical Events platform in the map below.
Look for scattered snow showers across interior New England, where widespread snow hit Wednesday and is likely still on the ground. Today’s snow will affect mainly high elevations in northern portions of New York state, Vermont and New Hampshire, as well as northern and eastern Maine. Roads in this region, including I-95, may be very slick due to a combination of snow and black ice.
A fast-moving system will bring another round of snow tonight to the Minnesota Arrowhead and northern Wisconsin, as well as parts of upper and lower Michigan. Look for minor accumulations of one to two inches east of a line from International Falls to Two Harbors, Minnesota to Bayfield and Mercer in Wisconsin on the southwestern end of Lake Superior. Other areas will pick up between a dusting to an inch.
Round two
A period of snow showers is likely over central Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin on Saturday, with lower chances farther north. Additional accumulation should be less than half an inch. Another period of lake effect snow could hit these areas Saturday night, in addition to parts of eastern North Dakota. Very cold temperatures in the teens to 20s will increase the odds of black ice forming on many roads, especially secondary routes.
Round three
Finally, a Canadian cold front will stir up a third batch of snowfall Saturday night through Sunday. This will blanket areas from the Rockies and prairies of Montana eastward to the Dakotas and southern Minnesota. As of this morning, it’s difficult to pinpoint how much will accumulate everywhere in the storm’s path. But it looks like some of the highest snow totals – four to eight inches – will hit Montana, mainly areas just east of Lewistown, east of I-15 and north of I-90 and I-94.
Periods of lake effect snow will come back Sunday across the Great Lakes states, lasting into early next week.
Other notable weather
Scattered thunderstorms this afternoon and evening may produce strong wind gusts, frequent cloud-to-ground lightning, and brief gully washers in parts of central and southern Florida. This may slow down drivers on portions of I-4, I-75 and I-95. Localized areas of flash flooding are possible from Disney World to the Everglades to the Keys. There will be a slight chance for additional thunderstorms over coastal communities of southeastern Florida and Atlantic waters on Saturday.
Subfreezing temperatures will spread across the Southeast late tonight. Any drivers who have to park overnight from Jackson, Mississippi to northern Alabama, northern Georgia (including Atlanta), most of South Carolina, and eastern North Carolina will want to pour winter additive in their diesel to be on the safe side.
Have a great day and a wonderful weekend! Please, be careful out there.