A second wave of winter storms for 2019 has begun its icy path through the United States this weekend, dropping more snow and ice than Winter Storm Gia did last weekend. Cold temperatures will be felt as far south as Interstate-10 along the Gulf Coast, and with powerful snow storms battering the northeast. More cold weather could be behind this storm.
The same storm that dumped massive amounts of rain and snow throughout parts of California has continued moving eastward, gaining strength across the Rockies and aiming toward greater metro areas like Denver, Kansas City, St. Louis overnight, and then continuing east Saturday with snow expectations and blizzard conditions throughout the midwest and on toward the east coast.
The storm is expected to reach into the Sun Belt region, dropping overnight temperatures on Saturday and Sunday nights into the low-20's in many places.
About 115 million people are already under a winter storm watch by Friday night, and more than 2,000 flights have been affected through Sunday, according to flightaware.com.
A Southwest Airlines jet strayed into a runway overrun area while taxiing on an icy runway in Omaha, Neb., forcing the airport to shut down several hours, according to Southwest Airlines. None of the passengers or crew were injured, according to the report.
The projected swath of this weekend's storm will move directly over the Ohio Valley into the northeast, where it's supposed to cause icing along the Interstate-95 corridor in New England. New York City is expected to receive 3-6 inches of snowfall over the weekend.
Milwaukee and Chicago could each see more than six inches of snow this weekend, but will most likely be affected by the lake effect snow with high winds on Lake Michigan.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has already declared a state of emergency beginning at noon on Saturday, even asking residents to stay off the roads and prepare for power outages.
Bostonians can expect more than a half a foot of snow, with their northern New England neighbors getting even more, according to reports.
Once this weekend's storms have passed, it won't be all-clear, though. Another cold-weather system is to follow, which will likely keep the moisture from this system frozen on the ground.
The weather isn't expected to affect Sunday night's AFC Championship football game between the New England Patriots at the Kansas City Chiefs. The NFC Championship game will be played Sunday afternoon in the cozy confines of the New Orleans Superdome between the Los Angeles Rams at the New Orleans Saints.
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