Truckers will hit messy winter weather through Friday morning from the Plains to the Northeast. Intermittent delays are likely due to reduced speeds, low visibility and potential road closures.
Related: Chaining up: 4 pro tips for truckers
A strong cold front will move through the central and eastern U.S. over the next 24 to 30 hours, producing areas of ice, heavy snow and gusty winds from Oklahoma to Maine and eastern Canada.
The National Weather Service on Wednesday upgraded many winter storm watches to winter storm warnings, a more serious level. These warnings run from just north of Oklahoma City to Detroit, as well as parts of upstate New York and northern New England. Some places in this impact zone will see 5 to 10 inches of snow. On the southern edge of the impact zone, look for less snow but up to a quarter-inch of ice accumulation.
Large cities and freight hubs that could experience significant disruptions during and just after the storm include Kansas City, Missouri, as well as Chicago, Detroit, Toronto and Montreal.
Temporary delays in air cargo will be possible, as well as interruptions at river ports and loading/unloading at intermodal ramps.
To the south of the impact zone, temperatures will be warm enough to support mainly rain, which will be heavy in many areas. Flood watches stretch from southeastern Missouri to the interior Northeast. Several inches of rain could drench some locations, with snowmelt adding to the threat of excess runoff in the Northeast.
High winds, as well as the ice, could bring down tree limbs and electrical lines, leading to power outages and periods of blowing snow. High-wind watches and warnings have been posted from Boston all the way to the Gulf Coast, where the same cold front will produce thunderstorms.
Major lanes of concern
• Interstate 35 from Oklahoma City to Wichita, Kansas.
• Interstate 44 from Oklahoma City to St. Louis.
• Interstate 70 from Topeka, Kansas, to St. Louis.
• Interstate 90 from Chicago to Albany, New York.
Many of the aforementioned thunderstorms will become severe across the South, especially Thursday afternoon and evening. The primary threats will be intense straight-line winds and tornadoes. The best chance for tornadoes is from Mississippi and northern Alabama to western portions of Tennessee and Kentucky. This includes Jackson, Mississippi; Memphis and Nashville, Tennessee; Birmingham and Huntsville, Alabama; as well as Paducah and Bowling Green, Kentucky.
Click here for more FreightWaves articles by Nick Austin.
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