Winter weather warnings issued across entire US as storms spark 'significant' disruption

Winter weather advisories are in place across much of the US this week as meteorologists predict rain and snow storms in the eastern half of the country, while the Pacific Northwest continues to be slammed by an atmospheric river storm.

Forecasts from AccuWeather show that a large weekend storm will have disruptive conditions in the eastern half of the US, where an estimated 180 million people will experience heavy rain, strong winds, snow, and severe thunderstorms.

When that storm system advances from the Mississippi Valley to the Atlantic Coast, it will “pack a punch,” according to AccuWeather meteorologist Joseph Bauer.

The highest chance of accumulating snow will be in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, Michigan, and in the interior Northeast as a strong cold front hits on Sunday.

Severe weather over a broad area from the central Gulf coast to the Ohio Valley over the weekend will lead to powerful thunderstorms and even a few tornadoes, meteorologists said.

READ MORE: Two dead as atmospheric river slams into Pacific Northwest with torrential rain

A period of heavy rain - accompanied by strong wind and thunder and lightning - will shift eastward from the Florida Panhandle to Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York on Saturday night and into Sunday.

The storm will pivot across much of New England Sunday night.

Strong winds could damage trees, block roads, trigger power outages, and cause property damage, while strong southerly winds could lead to flooding in exposed beach communities.

AccuWeather Meteorologist Grady Gilman said: “Heavy rainfall will accompany the frontal passage and can cause flooding on streets and highways along with reduced visibility.

“Significant ground and air travel delays are likely as the heavy rain, strong winds and thunderstorms come together in the East from Sunday to Sunday night.”

Meanwhile, the Pacific Northwest has been slammed by an atmospheric river storm, in which heavy rainfall and flooding have caused two people to die in Oregon from weather-related incidents.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), atmospheric rivers are long, narrow regions in the atmosphere that transport most of the water vapor outside of the tropics.

The average atmospheric river carries an amount of water vapor roughly equivalent to the flow of water at the mouth of the Mississippi River, the NOAA said.

And when they make landfall, they often release water vapor in the form of heavy rain or snow.

Floodwater caused by the weather phenomenon shut down dozens of roadways on Tuesday in Washington, where officials issued an ominous warning: “Turn around, don’t drown.”

Meteorologists have also said that an Alberta Clipper system - a fast-moving low-pressure system - is set to bring heavy snow across a large portion of the US from Montana to South Carolina this week.

The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued warnings of snow and strong winds for parts of Alaska, California, the Carolinas, Idaho, Maryland, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Tennessee, and the Virginias.

The NWS warned of reduced visibility and snow accumulations at higher elevations.

The weather agency said on Tuesday night that the system would “continue its trek across the nation” and likely produce areas of snow from the Ohio Valley to the lower Great Lakes and the Appalachian mountains.

The NWS said parts of the Allegheny mountains are expected to see three to six inches of snow.

Residents in all areas in the US affected by the storm systems have been advised to check the forecast and take precautions when traveling in wintry conditions.

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