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'Major January winter storm': NWS forecasts heavy snow, sleet, freezing rain for millions of Americans

The winter storm will hit a wide area of the Midwest and South by the end of the week. The dangerous conditions will follow a week of bitter cold in different parts of the country.

NWS forecasts heavy snowfall beginning Friday.

NWS forecasts heavy snowfall beginning Friday.Pedro Ugarte/AFP.

Santiago Ospital
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Santiago Ospital

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January will bid farewell to millions of Americans with heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain. So predicted the National Weather Service (NWS), which described the weather phenomenon that will begin later this week as a "major January winter storm."

Starting Friday, the storm will drop heavy snow from south of the Rocky Mountains, crossing the south-central Plains and moving eastward into the Mid-Atlantic. It will move toward the East Coast through Sunday.

"Snow-covered roads and reduced visibilities are among the primary hazards expected," the NWS also warned. "Hazardous travel conditions, power outages, and tree damage are likely," it added forecasting dangerous concentrations of ice on roads.

However, there are still questions about how it will affect different parts of the country. "Uncertainty remains regarding the location and magnitude of this winter storm's various components."

The forecast for the next few days, in detail

Dangerous cold:
    • Jan. 23-24: northern Great Plains.
    • Jan. 24-25: Midwest and Midwest.
    • Jan. 25-26: southern U.S., including Texas and neighboring states.

    Heavy snowfall:
      • Jan. 22-23: Great Lakes region and interior northeast.
      • Jan. 23-24: central panhandle (from the Plains eastward).
      • Jan. 24-25: Appalachian Mountain Range and Mid-Atlantic areas.

      Freezing rain:
      • Jan. 23-24: southern and south-central panhandle.
      • Jan. 24-25: southeast and Mid-Atlantic coast.
WPC Forecast.

WPC Forecast.WPC.

Before the storm... a frigid week

Wide swaths of the country are already suffering from cold temperatures. More than 40 million Americans were under cold warnings Tuesday, alerts that even extended as far as central Florida.

The Weather Prediction Center (WPC) had warned of extreme weather conditions in several regions between Monday and Wednesday. Snow accumulations could reach 8 to 12 inches, while temperatures could be 20 to 30 degrees below normal.

Authorities recommend that the public stay informed through official National Weather Service channels and take precautions against extreme cold, frost and adverse travel conditions.

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