ORLANDO, Fla. – The one-two punch of frigid Arctic air and a major winter storm could cause significant travel issues leading up to Christmas.
There will be minor weather-related issues Monday with rain in parts of the Southern Plains and Deep South. Light snow will also be moving across the nation’s midsection.
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On Tuesday, especially in the afternoon and evening, heavy rain will be possible across the Florida Peninsula. That rain is expected to move out by Wednesday afternoon.
The most significant travel disruptions will potentially start Thursday as a snowstorm gets underway. Arctic air will blast in on the western side of the storm.
The storm ramps up Friday and could dump significant snow in the Great Lakes region and interior Northeast.
If you are driving Friday, be on the lookout for something known as a flash freeze. Rain on the roads will quickly freeze as the temperatures drop quickly—in some cases 40 degrees in 6 hours—when the front blasts through.
This will be possible from Northern Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia and points north that will initially see rain from the storm.
Things quiet down Christmas Eve, but the Arctic chill will have settled in everywhere east of the Rockies. The only place to escape winter this holiday week will be in the desert southwest and Southern California.