(CNN) — Winter hasn’t even officially started yet, but the atmosphere is already approaching fatigue at the end of February. Another storm is barreling from the Plains toward the Northeast, threatening more travel disruptions after a post-Thanksgiving explosion in Chicago dropped record November snow, closing highways across several states and causing thousands of flight cancellations.
A fresh round of snow and ice will hit many of the same regions on Monday, transitioning into Tuesday with snow in the Inland Northeast, heavy coastal rain and an icy streak through the Ohio Valley.
For those hoping to avoid the travel woes by heading home this week, Mother Nature may have the last laugh. This rapidly evolving, yet impactful system comes uncomfortably on the heels of one of the most disruptive post-Thanksgiving travel weekends in years.
The new storm began building over the West this weekend, where a strong low-pressure system has brought moisture from the Pacific Ocean into the Northwest, the Great Basin and the Rockies. Higher elevations picked up fresh snow, and pockets of lighter snow moved through the lower valleys.
On Monday, this rotating energy will combine with moisture from the Gulf to produce showers and thunderstorms across Texas and the Deep South, while the northern edge of the storm draws in much colder air. Snow and a wintry mix will spread from the Central Plains into the Mississippi Valley, lower Midwest and Great Lakes through Monday evening.
Any lingering lake effect snow left behind by the storm over the holiday weekend will leave parts of the Great Lakes in steady snow for much of the day. Des Moines, St. Louis and Chicago are just some of the places expected to receive several additional inches of snow on Monday. Shovels will have to remain in active service for a while longer.
Rain, snow and ice move east
The storm will strengthen eastward. Widespread rain will move into the Mid-Atlantic, Southeast and Gulf Coast regions Monday night into Tuesday. Flash flooding is possible everywhere in the south. The colder northwest side of the system will push snow back into the Appalachians and inland Northeast.
Just south of the heavy snowfall, warmer air sliding over cold ground could produce pockets of freezing rain along the central and southern Appalachians. Even a thin layer of ice in the higher elevations of Virginia and North Carolina would be enough to cause travel problems or widespread power outages.
Confidence in the forecasts drops slightly closer to the I-95 corridor. New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Washington DC could see snow at the start of Tuesday, but the exact track of the low-pressure center will determine whether the flakes stick or quickly turn to rain. The line between these two outcomes is razor-thin and depends on how quickly the coastal low deepens offshore.
The cold digs in for an extended stay
December marks the start of meteorological winter – which runs through February – and it will certainly feel that way well into the first week of the season. Many spots across the central and northern U.S. will remain stuck in the teens and 20s on Monday, causing new snow and ice to pile on top of what has already fallen. The strong wind will make it feel even colder.
Once the snow and ice are gone, the cold sinks in even deeper. A new wave of Arctic air will move across the central and eastern US late week, dropping temperatures to their lowest levels of the season yet. Some areas could flirt with daily record lows Thursday and Friday, especially in the Plains, Midwest and Interior Northeast.
The coming blast in the Arctic could be a harbinger of more cold to come deeper into December due to a disruption of the polar vortex.
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