Winter weather alert: 5 US states brace for snow, sleet, and freezing rain

A quick-moving storm is heading toward the northeastern United States and could bring another round of winter weather. The National Weather Service has issued winter weather advisories in several states and is asking people to be careful, especially while driving, as roads may become slippery and travel delays are possible.

Even light ice and sleet can make roads slippery, officials say. The warnings remain in effect through Friday morning, when commuting could be most challenging.

Advisories in five states

As reported by Newsweek, the winter weather alerts cover Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, and New York. Some areas may receive up to 2 inches of snow and sleet, along with ice accumulation.

NWS offices have advised residents to drive slowly, plan for delays, and stay alert to quickly changing conditions.

Sleet and freezing rain are biggest concerns

While snow is expected in some areas, freezing rain and sleet are likely to cause the most problems. Roads and sidewalks can quickly become slippery and dangerous.

“That's the main impact we are going to see, especially as you get north of the Massachusetts Turnpike and into the higher terrain,” NWS meteorologist Hayden Frank told Newsweek.

How the storm will move

As quoted by Newsweek, the National Weather Service office in Albany said, “Precipitation begins Thursday afternoon as mainly rain, changing over to a wintry mix of sleet and freezing rain, with some snow across northern areas. The wintry mix tapers off Friday morning. The highest ice amounts locally, around a quarter of an inch, are expected across the southern Adirondacks and the high terrain of western New England.”

Weekend temperatures likely to rise

As mentioned in the report, temperatures are expected to reach the 40s and 50s by the weekend, which may help melt snow and ice.

Meanwhile, other parts of the country are seeing unusually warm weather. As many as 150 high-temperature records could be challenged within 24 hours. Western states are also under winter weather alerts, with some areas expecting heavy snowfall, in some cases nearing 2 feet.



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