Major Snowstorm From Oklahoma to the Northeast

[PrisonerOfHope]

Major Snowstorm From Oklahoma to the Northeast
Kristina Pydynowski, Senior Meteorologist
December 25, 2012; 1:02 PM

Play video An expert analysis on the snowstorm is discussed in the above AccuWeather.com video (AT LINK)

For real-time updates on this Christmas snowstorm, please visit this news story. (AT LINK)

A major snowstorm is taking shape across the southern Plains this Christmas Day, then will spread to the eastern Great Lakes and Northeast into Thursday.

Far more potent than the snow event that whitened the Northeast just in time for Christmas, this storm is unloading windswept and burying snow on its northwestern flank.

The worst of the snowstorm is currently taking shape today across the southern Plains.

Substantial snow will continue to spread from the panhandles of Oklahoma and Texas to northeastern Texas and western Arkansas today with snow even whitening Dallas in the afternoon--a rare feat for Christmas.

The major snowstorm will then press northeastward tonight into Thursday, passing from Arkansas into the Ohio Valley, then the eastern Great Lakes and Northeast.

The storm has the potential to unleash more than a half of a foot of snow starting later today into southeastern Oklahoma and northern Arkansas (north and west of Little Rock) to near Lake Erie.

Totals will even top a foot across the interior Northeast.

Cities in line to receive more than a half of a foot of snow include Cape Girardeau, Mo., Indianapolis, Detroit, Cleveland, Buffalo, Syracuse, Rochester, Burlington and Caribou.

The same can be said for the neighboring Canadian cities of Toronto, Montreal and Quebec City.

While great news for children and those wishing their communities to turn into a winter wonderland around Christmas, the snowstorm is sure to create a nightmare for travelers.

Please click here for a larger version of this map.

Several inches of snow will alone make driving treacherous. Winds severely blowing and drifting the snow around will only worsen the situation by dramatically reducing visibility and further clogging roads.

Airline passengers in the path of the snowstorm should prepare for lengthy delays and cancellations.

Where the snow is preceded by rain, a greater danger lurks for motorists as rapidly falling temperatures will also cause any wet spots to turn icy.

Areas east of the storm's track--from the South to the Northeast's I-95 corridor (including the eastern Tennessee and Ohio valleys)--will be faced with soaking rain, capable of causing urban and flash flooding.

Strong, gusty winds may lead to coastal flooding and damage along the Northeast coast, while the stage is set for an outbreak of tornadoes and damaging thunderstorms in the South.

In between the rain and snow, there is concern for an icy mix (which in some cases will eventually transition to rain) across the Ohio Valley and from the I-81 corridor of Virginia to central Pennsylvania, the Hudson Valley and the I-95 corridor of the Northeast Wednesday into Wednesday night.

Holiday travelers may want to consider altering their plans to avoid driving during hazardous conditions and flight delays and cancellations.

www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/major-multistate-snowstorm-com/3045354