Winter storm warnings were in effect in more than a half-dozen states early this week, especially in parts of the Northeast, where tens of thousands of people were without power.
“We have two storm systems that will impact the country this week,” Alyssa Clements, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, told USA TODAY.
One system organized over the Southwest on Monday before becoming a large-scale winter storm system and ejecting into the southern Plains on Tuesday, Clements said.
The storm is expected to hit portions of the central, southern and eastern U.S. through midweek with a variety of hazards, including a swath of snow and severe thunderstorms with heavy rainfall.
Meanwhile, parts of New England were being pelted by snow Monday. Here’s what to know:
Northeast facing 6-12 inches of snow
The storm system hitting the Northeast is ongoing, Clements said, and will last through Monday night across the Northeast, affecting the New England area from New York into Maine.
Heavy snow and coastal rain are also expected over parts of the Northeast.
The region could get anywhere from 6-12 inches of snow by Monday night, Clements said.
Power outages reported in Massachusetts, New Hampshire
More than 45,700 homes and businesses were without power in New Hampshire and Massachusetts early Monday as the first storm rolled through New England.
In New Hampshire, Eversource’s outage map reported more than 33,358 power outages, and New Hampshire Electric Co-op reported more than 2,129 power outages as of 11:15 a.m. local time.
In Massachusetts, more than 10,000 people were without power, according to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency map.
Winter storm brewing in Southwest
Meanwhile, a second winter storm began forming Monday across the Southwest, where it was set to strengthen in Arizona and New Mexico and eventually bring snow, Clements said.
New Mexico could see 4 to 10 inches of snow across its eastern plains, Clements said.
The system will track through portions of Oklahoma and Texas on Tuesday and into the Midwest on Wednesday.
Oklahoma could see 2 to 4 inches of snow, and the Texas Panhandle could get 6 to 8 inches, National Weather Service forecasters say.
Active winter storm warnings
Winter storm warnings this week have been active in areas of eastern New York, western New England, northern Vermont, New Hampshire and most of Maine, the weather service reported.
Warnings also were in place in New Mexico and in Lubbock, Texas, and the northern part of the state.
Potentially severe thunderstorms forecast in Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana
Thunderstorms were expected Tuesday across portions of the Gulf Coast in Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana. Possibly severe storms were expected in those areas overnight Tuesday, Clements said.
Snow also was expected in much of Arkansas and western Tennessee.
In addition, there was a slight risk of excessive rainfall from eastern Texas to south-central Mississippi, where totals could exceed 2 inches in some areas.
Light snow possible in North Dakota, Minnesota and Great Lakes
Elsewhere across the U.S. Monday, light snow was expected across parts of North Dakota, Minnesota and into the northern Great Lakes as a fast-moving low-pressure system moved through the region.
Patchy areas of light snow were expected across the Rockies, the weather service said.
New York, I-95 corridor could see snow this week
In the stretch of cities from New York to Washington along the East Coast, residents have seen a lack of dramatic winter weather this year. Tom Kines, a senior meteorologist at AccuWeather, told USA TODAY the area could see some snow on Wednesday, and New York City has the best chance of accumulating snow.
“It looks like it’s going to be snow changing to rain in New York City,” Kines said. “It’s just a matter of whether it’s 35 degrees and snowing or 31 and snowing.”
National weather radar
Natalie Neysa Alund covers trending news for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.
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