White Christmas: Winter storm crossing northern U.S. poses travel troubles

Much of the northern half of the United States could see a white Christmas -- or at least an inch of snow on the ground on Monday morning. Photo courtesy National Weather Service/Twitter

Dec. 22 (UPI) — Snow, sleet, freezing rain and possible flooding look like they will impact holiday travel plans across the United States, as a winter storm system moves in from the west.

The storm is already blanketing parts of the Northeast, and has 22 states under snow and flood alerts. Airport delays are possible in a number of cities, including Dallas, Memphis and Boston.

Denver and parts of the Midwest received several inches of snow on Thursday, which caused trouble for road travelers when highways became slicked with ice. Similar conditions are also expected in the Northeast by Friday afternoon, forecasters said.

A number of winter storm warnings are in place for upstate New York and northern New England, where more than 6 inches of snow are expected. Ice accumulations and potential power blackouts could hit western and northern New England in the coming days.

Freezing drizzle is developing over the southern Plains and rain will start to freeze or turn to snow as the system moves through the Ohio Valley and as far south as Oklahoma and the Texas panhandle.

The east-moving winter storm has already produced about 40 inches of snow in Glacier National Park, and some locations have seen up to a foot of snow in northern Montana, northern Idaho and the northern part of Washington state.

Forecasters say a blast of cold air will follow the system, with much of the country feeling wind chills in the teens and 20s on Christmas morning.

Much of the northern half of the United States could see a white Christmas — or at least an inch of snow on the ground on Monday morning.

“Snow will likely already be on the ground in cities such as Boise, Cheyenne, and Denver, making a white Christmas likely in those cities,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Ryan Adamson said. “Snow will fall in parts of Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan.

“This system will continue eastward on Christmas Eve night, bringing snow to West Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York,” he added, noting that New York, Boston and Portland, Me., would see snow on Christmas.

Rain in New Jersey, though, makes it likely that most of the Garden State will see its eighth straight year without a white Christmas.

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