Northeast, Midwest to face crippling ice storm that could threaten millions

A potentially dangerous ice threat from a developing winter storm looms for millions of people from the Midwest to the Northeast this week, and while it’s still too early to know exactly where the storm will track, the FOX Forecast Center said sleet and freezing rain could wreak havoc on travel.One of the recent atmospheric river storms that has been slamming the West Coast with heavy rain and mountain snow will play a role in the development of this latest round of winter weather. The FOX Forecast Center said a low-pressure system will develop over the Plains by Tuesday but will initially lack the moisture needed to strengthen.Forecasters said that as the future system moves off to the east, a strong, southerly jet stream will kick in, pulling in warm, moisture-rich air across the eastern half of the U.S.That setup will create a well-defined warm front, separating the frigid air to the north from the record-breaking warmth swamping the South.The issue is that the warm air will move into an area with a shallow layer of subfreezing air near the surface.That’s when problems could arise.The FOX Forecast Center said that when that happens, freezing rain could develop.

But computer forecast models still disagree on the storm’s track and on whether it moves east, as expected at this time, or if a new coastal low develops along the East Coast.The first scenario includes a stronger low-pressure system developing over the Plains, remaining the dominant system.With that, a stronger jet stream pulls in warm, moist air, leading to more freezing rain along the Interstate 90 corridor from the Midwest to the Northeast.That scenario could bring notable ice accretions to cities like Des Moines, Iowa; Chicago, Illinois; Syracuse, New York; and Burlington, Vermont.“It does encompass a wide area,” FOX Weather Meteorologist Craig Herrera said.“It’s not like a thin, narrow area where oftentimes we see that freezing line.

We see a thin,...