Newsman: the nation’s biggest snowstorm of the year was forecast for a wide swath of the northern U.S. Monday through Wednesday. Almost 50 million Americans are already at risk for severe storms and potential tornadoes Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center. Already parts of the Midwest and South were bracing for another round of damaging tornadoes, especially on Tuesday.
Colorado, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming are among the states to face the brunt of a winter storm that could break April snow records, the National Weather Service warned. Up to 30 inches of snow was possible in portions of South Dakota, the weather service in Rapid City said.
“Strong winds and heavy snow will create whiteout conditions and significant drifting snow,” the weather service said, adding that the result could be “dangerous to impossible driving conditions and considerable disruptions to daily life.”
National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center cities such as Chicago, Kansas City, Missouri, Tulsa, Oklahoma, St. Louis and Des Moines, Iowa, are all in the risk area. The storms “could pose a risk for a few strong tornadoes, large hail and damaging wind gusts,” the prediction center said.
The prediction center also said “dangerous nighttime tornadoes” are possible Tuesday evening into Wednesday morning. Nighttime tornadoes are twice as likely to be deadly as daytime tornadoes.
Meanwhile many cities and towns are recovering from a surge of severe storms that resulted in dozens of confirmed or suspected tornadoes in at least eight states and 32 deaths.
The Storm Prediction Center said, a tornado watch has been issued for portions of Alabama, Georgia and the Florida Panhandle until 5 p.m. EDT. “Thunderstorms moving into the region will pose a threat for damaging winds, large hail, and a few tornadoes,” the Storm Prediction Center said.
the weather service said,Nearly 100 preliminary tornado reports were being investigated by the prediction center after the wild storms that swept across much of the Midwest and East on Friday and Saturday. As of Monday morning, the weather service has confirmed 66 tornadoes.
The death toll rose to 32 and more dangerous weather was forecast for a wide swath of the South and Midwest already in ruins Sunday from a surge of storms that fueled confirmed or suspected tornadoes in at least 11 states.
More than 180,000 homes and businesses were out of power in eight Southern and Eastern states Sunday as strong winds and storms toppled trees, downed power lines and converted anything left outdoors into dangerous projectiles.
One tornado at the center of the destruction in Arkansas drew stunning preliminary data from the National Weather Service – an EF3 with winds of up to 165 mph, 30 miles long and 1.3 miles wide. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders had already declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard.
