Blizzard warnings issued as powerful winter storm to blast Northeast, mid-Atlantic with more snow, wind

A new winter storm has millions of people from the Upper Midwest to the mid-Atlantic and Northeast preparing for dangerous winds and a potential blizzard or near-blizzard conditions in areas just slammed by a lake-effect snowstorm that buried cities in feet of snow.The storm could even bring some snow to the heavily traveled Interstate 95 corridor.The storm system, known as an “Alberta Clipper” due to its quick pace and origins inside its namesake Canadian province, has already moved into the U.S., and impacts will increase throughout the day across the Great Lakes and Upper Midwest.

Winter weather alerts stretch from North Dakota to Maine, including Blizzard Warnings that were issued in parts of West Virginia and Maryland in the mid-Atlantic due to the threat of snow and high winds that will lead to whiteout conditions, making travel treacherous and potentially life-threatening.The heaviest snow on Wednesday will once again be generated by lake effects and relegated to the eastern shores of Lake Superior and Lake Michigan. Winter Storm Warnings are in effect for Michigan’s western snow belts and the Upper Peninsula for new snow totals exceeding a foot.But scattered snow squalls are possible across the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes Wednesday, with widespread wind gusts reaching 40-50 mph bringing the potential for near-blizzard or whiteout conditions.The clipper system will slide through the Northeast on Thursday, shifting the heavy snow to the eastern shores of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.“That wind is straight down out of Canada, pulling down more in the way of the cold air – part of the reason why so many folks across the eastern part of the country are dealing with below-average temperatures,” FOX Weather Meteorologist Ian Oliver said.“That also keeps the lake-effect snow machine rolling.

So December is kicking off with a bang.”Winter Storm Watches and Lake-Effect Snow Warnings are back in effect from late Wednesday th...