January 9, 2024 - Winter storm slams central and eastern US

People walk through Times Square in New York on Tuesday.

New York City is now bracing for winds up to 35 mph at the coast and gusts up to 70 mph during the storm, the city’s emergency management announced Tuesday afternoon.

Monday, officials said they expected up to 60 mph gusts during the storm.

The city also announced coastal flood advisories for Brooklyn, Manhattan and Staten Island Wednesday morning from 5 a.m. until 10 a.m. ET and southern Queens from 4 a.m. until 10 a.m. ET.

The Fire Department of New York maintains 111 water-trained rescue units and 143 ladder companies with chainsaws to assist with potential wind and tree events, according to the city’s emergency management. 

Mayor Eric Adams warned the high wind gusts could be very dangerous.

More than 1,000 flights were canceled and more than 5,800 flights were delayed on Tuesday, according to data from FlightAware.  

Some of the flight cancellations are due to the grounding of the Boeing 737 Max 9. 

United Airlines told CNN it canceled 170 flights on Tuesday because of the Max grounding. 

Alaska Airlines has not said how many Tuesday cancellations are due to the Max but, said the airline has canceled between 140 and 170 flights daily since the Federal Aviation Administration-mandated grounding, pending inspections of the planes.  

Orlando International Airport and Tampa International now have FAA ground stops for arriving flights due to thunderstorms. Flights arriving at LaGuardia Airport in New York are delayed more than an hour due to wind.

Citing thunderstorms, the FAA ordered a broad hold on Charlotte-bound departures that applies to airports from Texas to Indiana and Miami to Washington, D.C.  

Earlier in the day, the FAA also held flights bound for Atlanta – the world’s busiest airport – and Dallas Fort Worth. The FAA also warns of Tuesday afternoon and evening disruptions along the East Coast, from Florida to New York. It has closed some flight routes due to thunderstorms, causing it to hold some Florida-bound flights.

On the nation’s rails, Amtrak has canceled multiple East Coast trains for Tuesday and Wednesday. The agency has either canceled or shortened the routes for more than 17 Acela, Northeast Regional and Keystone (Pennsylvania) trains on Tuesday and Wednesday.

A vehicle drives on I-80 on Tuesday in Des Moines, Iowa.

The Iowa State Patrol has closed a portion of Interstate 80 as of Tuesday afternoon due to whiteout conditions that have led to a multi-vehicle crash. 

“Interstate CLOSED! I-80 WB at the 229 MM is closed due to a multi vehicle crash,” the Iowa State Patrol said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Whiteout conditions are being reported and travel is NOT advised on I-80 from Des Moines to the Illinois border.”

In a separate post, the state patrol showed pictures of a trooper’s vehicle being severely damaged after it was hit.

“Thankfully, this ISP Trooper was OUT of his car checking on a stalled semi when his patrol car was struck from behind. No injuries were reported…” the Iowa State Patrol said on X.

The agency stressed that travel is not advised on I-80 between Des Moines and the Illinois state line. 

The National Weather Service (NWS) has a winter storm warning in effect for most of Iowa.

Law enforcement in Kansas moved stranded motorists they rescued from their vehicles on Monday into a high school during blizzard and whiteout conditions.

Tod Hileman, Kansas Highway Patrol public information officer, on Tuesday told CNN they moved at least 30 people to Wheatland High School located in Gove County, Kansas.

Those stranded motorist are still at the high school as of Tuesday afternoon, Hileman said.

“I think they’re still there because we are still in the process of removing their vehicles from the highways. Most of our roads out here are still closed,” he said.  

Grainfield is located in western Kansas along Interstate 70, which was closed on Monday and into the overnight hours of Tuesday. 

The Kansas Department of Transportation posted a message on X saying some portions of I-70 are open and other portions remain closed.  

“We are working hard to remove all of the cars and semi trucks from the roads,” Hileman said in an earlier post on X, formerly Twitter.

One person was killed and two more were critically injured in a mobile home community in North Carolina, according to Amy McCauley, communications director for Catawba County.

McCauley went on to say that the National Weather Service is currently evaluating if it was a tornado that hit the community in Claremont. Claremont, which sits in Catawba County, is about 45 miles northwest of Charlotte.

McCauley said the area sustained damage, with multiple trees down and some flooded streets, as well.

People walk with umbrellas in New York on Tuesday.

An exceptionally powerful storm packing nearly every winter weather threat is tracking across the central and eastern US on Tuesday. Here’s what to expect as the storm bears down on New York City and Washington, DC. All times are local:

Washington, DC:

The worst conditions from the storm will arrive ahead of many other major Northeast metros.

New York City:

The storm’s worst will miss much of the evening commute but ramp up quickly thereafter.

As another destructive storm rips through the US, the historic number of last year’s extreme weather has become more clear.

The US experienced 28 separate weather and climate disasters costing at least $1 billion in damage in 2023, according to NOAA. This is a record number of such disasters in the US, far surpassing the 22 in 2020.

The news comes at the same time that climate scientists confirmed 2023 was the warmest year on record and perilously close to hitting a critical climate tipping point.

The number of $1 billion disasters in the US has been on the rise — just like temperatures. Last year was the record 13th consecutive year of at least 10 such disasters and the fourth consecutive year with at 18 or more, NCEI notes.

The total cost of 2023’s events exceeds $92 billion, though that number is expected to rise as costs from a late-December storm that brought flooding to the East Coast are still being tallied. 

Last year’s costliest disaster was the drought in the South and Midwest, which decreased crop yields and brought saltwater intrusion into the water supply in southern Louisiana. The price tag of the ongoing drought has reached $14.5 billion, according to NOAA.

The impacts of the year’s extreme weather extended far beyond financial costs, with 492 direct or indirect fatalities attributed to the 28 disasters – the eighth-most disaster-related deaths for the contiguous US since 1980. 

Winter weather in the eastern US is disrupting travel on Tuesday.  

Airlines have canceled more than 800 flights, and more than 4,200 flights arrived delayed, according to data from FlightAware.  

Some of the flight cancelations are due to the grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX 9 after a terrifying incident aboard one of its flights in which a section of the plane blew off the aircraft mid-flight.

United Airlines told CNN it canceled 170 flights Tuesday because of the MAX incident. 

Alaska Airlines has not said how many Tuesday cancelations are due to the MAX incident, but the airline has canceled between 140 and 170 flights daily since the FAA-mandated grounding, pending inspections of the planes.   

Citing thunderstorms, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a broad hold on Charlotte-bound departures that applies to airports from Texas to Indiana and Miami to Washington, DC.

Earlier in the day, the FAA also held flights bound for Atlanta — the world’s busiest airport — and Dallas Fort Worth in Texas. 

The FAA warned of afternoon and evening disruptions along the East Coast, from Florida to New York. It has closed some flight routes due to thunderstorms, causing it to hold some Florida-bound flights.

On the nation’s rails, Amtrak canceled multiple East Coast trains for Tuesday and Wednesday. It has either canceled or shortened the routes for more 17 Acela, Northeast Regional and Keystone trains today and tomorrow.  

An unbroken line of severe thunderstorm warnings stretched across about 450 miles of the Southeast early Tuesday afternoon as damaging storms pounded the region.

Severe thunderstorm warnings mean there is an “imminent danger to life and property” from potentially destructive winds and hail, according to the National Weather Service.

These warnings all stem from the same line of damaging thunderstorms.

When severe thunderstorms rumble to life, they can develop separately from one another and remain their own individual storms. Individual storms can also eventually merge into one cohesive, powerful line. The latter has been the case Tuesday as the potent line of severe thunderstorms expands its reach across the Southeast.

Damaging wind gusts and tornadoes remain the main threats with any severe thunderstorms Tuesday, but hail and flooding rainfall are also possible.

This satellite animation provides a complete snapshot of the storm encompassing much of the eastern half of the US Tuesday. The storm and its associated cold front form a distinct comma shape – a hallmark of non-tropical storms.

The storm’s center — the comma’s head — hovers over the Mississippi Valley, while its long cold front — the comma’s tail — stretches from the eastern US to Mexico.

Much of the East is obscured by the storm’s thick cloud cover, making it difficult to get any peeks at the surface below. But clear skies in the Southwest reveal snow in the mountainous areas of Arizona and New Mexico.

Both states were the first to feel the storm’s impacts when it brought rain and snow to the desert on Sunday. It later moved across the central US Monday.

More than 9 million people are under a new tornado watch issued by the Storm Prediction Center until 6 p.m. ET.

Portions of northern Florida, southeastern Georgia, south central North Carolina and much of South Carolina are under the watch — including Jacksonville in Florida, Savannah in Georgia, Charlotte in North Carolina, and Columbia and Charleston in South Carolina.

There have been 12 tornadoes reported across Florida, Alabama and Georgia this morning associated with this line of storms.

A massive winter storm has knocked out power to more than 100,000 customers in Florida alone as of 1 p.m. ET Tuesday, according to poweroutage.us.

The winter storm is bringing blinding snow, tornadoes and winds gusting over 50 mph from the Plains to the East Coast. The South has the most power outages on Tuesday morning, where a strong line of thunderstorms is moving through. 

This storm will continue to push eastward and is likely to cause more power outages as it reaches the high population areas of the East Coast, where the ground is also saturated and high winds are expected.

These are some of the top outages by state:

Wind gust forecast for Tuesday evening.

Intense winds are forecast to pound parts of the East Coast Tuesday evening through Tuesday night, raising concerns for significant damage, power outages and coastal flooding.

Some of the strongest winds will center on North Carolina.

Tropical-storm-force wind gusts of 40 to 60 mph are likely across the eastern half of the state Tuesday evening, with hurricane-force gusts near 75 mph possible in the Outer Banks.

These strong winds are tied to the considerable strength of the storm slamming much of the East with adverse weather. But a layer of strong winds located in the low atmosphere called the low-level jet will also lend a helping hand.

Severe thunderstorms are forecast to rock a large part of the Carolinas later Tuesday. When they do, these storms will build high enough into the atmosphere to tap into the low-level jet and send its strong winds rushing toward the surface.

More concerning, the low-level jet is expected to be “unusually strong for this time of year” and could possibly become the strongest ever recorded during winter for the area, according to the National Weather Service in Morehead City, North Carolina.

Linda Cox looks at her two vehicles that were damaged by a fallen tree in Myrtle Grove, Florida, on Tuesday.

As a strong line of severe weather moves across Florida, causing significant property damage, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency in 49 of Florida’s 67 counties.

Counties in the executive order include:

Alachua, Baker, Bay, Bradford, Brevard, Calhoun, Citrus, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Escambia, Flagler, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Hernando, Hillsborough, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Marion, Nassau, Okaloosa, Orange, Osceola, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Santa Rosa, Seminole, Sumter, St. Johns, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Volusia, Wakulla, Walton, Washington

Totowa DPW workers from right, Brian Henderson and Josko Huljev, fill sandbags for residents of the township in Totowa, New Jersey, on Tuesday.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy urged residents to be vigilant about rain, flooding and high winds expected from a storm that could result in significant power outages in the Garden State. 

The worst of the weather is forecast to hit between Tuesday night and early Wednesday, Murphy told CNN affiliate WABC on Tuesday morning.

Parts of New Jersey already have ground saturation from previous rainfall, which — combined with melting snow — is cause for concern, according to the governor.

The governor said the state is cooperating with different agencies to become better equipped to fight storms. “It takes time, but frankly, Mother Nature is dragging us along right now,” he said. “We’ve gotta reverse that.” 

His warning comes as the mayor of Paterson, New Jersey, declared a state of emergency in his city starting at 5 p.m. ET Tuesday in anticipation of a “torrential downpour.”

“We’re coordinating our efforts to ensure the safety of all residents in the city of Paterson,” Paterson Mayor André Sayegh said at a press conference Tuesday morning.

“You have snow that’s melting and then you have rain that’s on the way,” Sayegh said. “So that poses a problem for the Passaic River.”

Officials will issue a flash flood warning this afternoon, immediately close certain streets, and start asking people in flood-prone areas to leave their homes, Office of Emergency Management Coordinator Troy Ayers said at the press conference.

The Passaic is predicted to crest at 9.3 feet, so officials are “preparing for the worst,” Ayers said.

Last month, Sayegh declared a state of emergency as the area was hit with a coastal storm.

As the powerful storm packing rain, snow and wind makes its way eastward, it is drawing some extra oomph from hundreds of miles away.

The system is unlocking extra water from an atmospheric river connected to the warm Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean — increasing the ceiling on its potential severity, according to Jay Cordeira, an atmospheric scientist for the Center For Western Weather Water and Extremes.

Atmospheric rivers are like conveyor belts of moisture. Most of the water is in vapor form, but storms act to wring it out in the form of rain and snow.

The term is canon on the West Coast, where atmospheric rivers are responsible for most of the region’s water and also its floods. They are even rated like hurricanes based on their severity.

But atmospheric rivers happen globally, including on the East Coast, where they’re actually fairly common — just not usually this impactful.

The East Coast typically sees as many as three atmospheric rivers as potent as Tuesday’s each year, Cordeira told CNN. In December, a Category 5 atmospheric river caused deadly and destructive flooding in New England.

What’s even more rare is that this atmospheric river comes after one this past weekend dumped the Northeast’s first big snow, and as another significant one is forecast for Friday and Saturday.

Having several atmospheric events in a row over a short period of time can make each subsequent one increasingly impactful as the ground gets more saturated, lowering the amount of rain needed to cause flooding.

More than 30 million Americans in the Northeast and Southeast face a Level 3 out of 4 threat for flooding rain Tuesday from the storm.

Storm damage is seen in Bay County, Florida, on Tuesday.

While there are numerous reports of damage from severe storms in the Florida Panhandle, no injuries have been confirmed yet, according to Florida Division of Emergency Management Executive Director Kevin Guthrie.

However, he has urged caution, telling CNN: “With the type of damage I am seeing coming in from some of these videos … it would not surprise me if (we) had some minor injuries.”

Guthrie said the state has tracked as many as 16 radar-confirmed tornadoes, with up to four of those being on the ground. 

There are some destroyed structures near Lower Grand Lagoon, according to Guthrie. “A destroyed condo, an older condo that’s probably 1970s, 1980s construction. We have a boat yard that lost about half of its storage facility,” he said.

Guthrie said crews are already on scene in Bay County assessing damage, and they hope to move more resources to the area after the storm moves through the state. 

He said there is a possibility for strong EF-2 or higher tornado in the Tallahassee area as the storm tracks east, adding that authorities are “expecting a very long day, (and) it’s been a very long night.”

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Storm chaser Jay Lesyk said he was in Grand Lagoon in Panama City Beach, Florida, when he observed a tornado that hit the area early Tuesday morning. 

“I was chasing and almost got hit by it,” Lesyk said. “I was first on scene and could hear people screaming, smell of gas, and just saw a bunch of destruction all down the street.”

Lesyk also attempted to rescue a woman who was trapped in her home but eventually guided first responders to her, he told CNN.

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00:31 - Source: cnn

After a seasonably chilly start to Tuesday morning, temperatures will skyrocket this afternoon across much of the Northeast as very mild air for early January arrives.

This mild air will prevent snow from falling in every major city along the I-95 corridor south of Maine. Several cities here are still dealing with record snow droughts nearing two years.

The mildest air will arrive in the region hand in hand with the heaviest rainfall late Tuesday afternoon into Tuesday night. The afternoon is typically the warmest part of the day, but not today.

Temperatures in some major metropolitan areas Tuesday night will climb 10 to 20 degrees above what’s normal for the daytime high and 30 to 40 degrees above the typical nighttime low.

New York City typically tops out around 40 degrees with a low in the upper 20s at this point in the month. But temperatures will climb into the upper 40s by this evening and continue to rise into the middle 50s even after the sun sets.

Philadelphia averages similar temperatures to New York City, but will soar into the upper 50s by the evening and potentially close in on 60 degrees shortly after midnight.

Warm ocean water is also preventing snow in cities close to the coast. Water temperatures just off the New Jersey coast into southern New England are still unusually high for January, following 2023’s record ocean heat. These warmer water conditions can prevent air temperatures from dropping significantly in nearby cities.

A house is seen teetering on its side in the Grand Lagoon area of Panama City, Florida, as severe weather, including tornadoes, passed through the Florida panhandle on Tuesday morning.

Bay County, Florida, Emergency Management Services reported “significant damage” as severe weather, including tornadoes, pass through the Florida Panhandle.

The county said the Grand Lagoon Bridge is closed due to debris in the roadway and Bayway transit services were suspended.

Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford urged people to take cover.

Storm damage is seen in Panama City Beach on Tuesday.

“We’ve had multiple tornadoes on the ground, primarily in the county … numerous reports of damage; we’ve rescued people out of structures,” Ford said in a video posted online, encouraging residents to shelter in a safe space inside their homes.

Photos shared by the Panama City Police Department showed trees fallen across roads and onto driveways, plus collapsed fences in the St. Andrews area.

A widespread winter storm has knocked out power to nearly 300,000 customers across the eastern half of the US as of 8:45 a.m. ET Tuesday morning, according to poweroutage.us.

The winter storm is bringing blinding snow, tornadoes and winds gusting over 50 mph from the Plains to the East Coast. The South has the most power outages on Tuesday morning, where a strong line of thunderstorms is moving through. 

This storm will continue to push eastward and is likely to cause more power outages as it reaches the high population areas of the East Coast, where the ground is also saturated and high winds are expected.

These are some of the top outages by state:

An additional 50,000-plus customers are without power across the Pacific Northwest, where a second winter storm is impacting the region. Washington has about 42,000 customers without power and Oregon has about 10,000 customers out.

Widespread wind gusts of 40 to 60 mph are likely across much of the central and eastern US as a massive, multi-faceted storm reaches its full strength Tuesday.

More than 160 million people across the US are under wind alerts, and the Weather Prediction Center warned them to “prepare for power outages.”

Severe storms aren’t driving these strong, prolonged winds — it’s the impressive strength of the storm, which is an area of low pressure, and how it interacts with a strong area of high pressure located off the northeastern coast of the US.

The atmosphere is exerting pressure on all of us. The force of that pressure is lower under areas of low pressure and higher under areas of high pressure, hence the names.

As the storm gets stronger, its pressure drops and it creates a stronger gap in pressure between it and the high pressure, known as a pressure gradient.

The speed of the wind is related directly to the strength of the pressure gradient because it squeezes the air that moves through it, forcing it to pick up speed. Think of it like popping bubble wrap: Once it’s squeezed hard enough, the plastic pops and the air quickly rushes out.

The strength, duration and widespread nature of winds on Tuesday and Tuesday night in this pressure gradient are likely to bring down trees and cause power outages.

Tornado damage is seen a screengrab taken from video shared by storm chaser Jay Lesyk. Lesyk said he was in Grand Lagoon, Florida when he observed a tornado hit the area early Tuesday morning.

Several tornadoes have been reported this morning in the Florida Panhandle as a strong line of thunderstorms moves through the area.

National Weather Service meteorologists reported a “large and extremely dangerous tornado” near Panama City just after 5:30 a.m. CT (6:30 a.m. ET).

“This is a PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION,” the weather service added.

The tornado continued to track northeast, passing near Lynn Haven, Florida, shortly before 7 a.m. ET.

“To repeat, a tornado is on the ground. TAKE COVER NOW!” the weather service warned.

Social media videos from the area at that time appear to show a strong waterspout moving onshore as well as damage after the storm passed.

NWS meteorologists continue to track the storm, which is confirmed to still be producing a dangerous tornado near the town of Marianna, passing Interstate 10.

At least five tornadoes have been reported in the last couple of hours, according to data from the Storm Prediction Center.

A new tornado watch is in effect until 2 p.m. ET for portions of southeastern Alabama, the eastern Florida Panhandle to northern Florida, and southern Georgia, according to the Storm Prediction Center.

This watch covers over 2 million people and includes Tallahassee, Panama City and Lake City in Florida, Dothan in Alabama, and Albany and Valdosta in Georgia.

A strong line of storms, with potentially tornadic circulations and damaging straight line winds up to 75 mph, will sweep eastward across the watch area through the remainder of the morning into early afternoon.

Over 40 million people across the Southeast are at risk of severe storms today. A Level 3 of 5 risk of severe storms covers much of Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas on Tuesday, where tornadoes and damaging winds are possible.

High winds continue to impact much of the central and southern US, which has increased power outages to over 244,000 customers, according to poweroutage.us. 

Here the states with the highest power outages as of 7:15 a.m. ET:

More than half the US population is currently under wind alerts that cover almost all of the South and extend into the Northeast. The bulk of the high wind alerts across the Southern Plains will begin to expire through the day on Tuesday but will largely last into Wednesday for much of the eastern US. 

A local resident clears overnight snow from a driveway on Tuesday in Urbandale, Iowa.

A powerful storm packing nearly every winter weather threat is making its way across the central and eastern US today.

When staying indoors during cold temperatures or a winter storm, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers these tips:

And if you must go outside, the CDC and National Weather Service have some recommendations for staying safe while venturing outdoors during a winter storm,

Read more about how to stay safe during winter weather.

Radar snapshot as of 6:30 a.m. ET.

Intense storms are moving through portions of Florida and Alabama early Tuesday morning, unleashing torrential rainfall, strong winds and even a few tornadoes. Multiple tornado warnings were issued in each state during the predawn hours Tuesday.

Downtown Mobile, Alabama, was under at least two separate tornado warnings early Tuesday. But the threat has since shifted east into the Florida Panhandle, where at least one confirmed tornado moved through Freeport, Florida, on Tuesday morning, according to the National Weather Service in Tallahassee, Florida.

The damaging storms capable of producing tornadoes will continue to develop and form into a cohesive line of dangerous storms throughout Tuesday morning. This formidable line of storms will track east and unload severe weather across other portions of the Southeast Tuesday afternoon and evening.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper is pictured during a rally at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina, on October 10, 2023.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency on Monday ahead of the severe weather that is expected to impact the state today.

“This storm system has the potential to bring high winds and other dangerous storm conditions to North Carolina, and people should be aware and take precautions,” Cooper said in a news release.

The storm threat is expected to increase into Tuesday afternoon.

“The severe weather threat has increased with numerous severe storms capable of producing damaging wind gusts and tornadoes possible Tuesday afternoon through Tuesday night, especially in the eastern half of the state,” the news release noted.

People walk along the street amid wintery weather in New York City, on January 7.

New York City issued a travel advisory and flood watch starting Tuesday night at 6 p.m. ET, warning of heavy rains, damaging winds and moderate coastal flooding across the city. 

“Given that multiple warnings and advisories have been issued citywide, including the potential for significant coastal flooding in southern Queens, I urge all New Yorkers to take this storm seriously, stay updated through Notify NYC, and take necessary precautions,” he added.

A high wind warning will also be in effect for Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island starting Tuesday night with 30 to 40 mph winds and gusts up to 60 mph, according to New York City Emergency Management. 

Mayor Eric Adams encouraged residents to stay safe and remain informed about the forecast.

“Our city government is prepared to respond to whatever comes our way, but residents should also take the necessary precautions to stay safe and protect their belongings,” Adams said.

“I encourage all New Yorkers to sign up for Notify NYC to get the latest information and closely monitor the forecast as this storm approaches,” he added.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly is pictured in her office at the Kansas Statehouse in Topeka, Kansas, on December 20, 2023.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly on Monday issued a state of disaster emergency proclamation due to the significant winter storm impacting the state.

The proclamation will allow resources to be prepositioned across the state.

According to the news release, travelers are encouraged to avoid travel but if they must, to have a full tank of gas and an emergency kit.

The National Weather Service issued blizzard warnings, winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories across Kansas on Monday. The Kansas Department of Transportation said Monday evening that parts of Interstate 70 were closed due to blizzard conditions.

Here’s a roundup of the various cities expected to be affected by the storms today:

New Orleans

Houston

Des Moines

 Chicago

 Tampa

Atlanta

Charleston

New York

Washington, DC

Philadelphia

Heavy snow and strong winds slammed portions of the Plains with whiteout conditions on Monday and Monday night. But as snow continues to fall a wide area of the country, only a select few areas can claim they’ve been hit by a blizzard.

Snowstorms are not considered blizzards until they meet certain criteria.

Blizzards occur when snow and sustained winds of 35 mph or greater combine for at least three hours and reduce visibility to a quarter-mile or less, according to the National Weather Service. More simply: strong winds blow so much snow around that it’s impossible to see a distance farther than a few football fields for a long period of time.

Visibility can plummet to near-zero, meaning it’s impossible to see farther than a few feet, in the most intense blizzards.

But remember: A storm doesn’t need to meet the technical definition of a blizzard in order to cause life-threatening conditions.

Storms with similar wind speeds and snow amounts that happen on short timescales are also very dangerous. Whiteout conditions for any length of time may lead to serious accidents and deadly crashes.

There are over 40 million people under a severe storm threat on Tuesday, according to the latest from the Storm Prediction Center. 

An enhanced risk for severe storms, or a level 3 of 5, is in effect from the Florida Panhandle to the Carolinas, including Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Savannah, Charleston and Wilmington. 

The main threats are strong tornadoes, some of which could be EF2 to EF5 and strong wind gusts, some of which could exceed 74 mph. 

A slight risk for severe storms, level 2 of 5, is in effect from central Florida to southern Virginia, including Charlotte, Raleigh and Tampa. 

The main threats are tornadoes and damaging wind gusts. 

A marginal risk for severe storms, level 1 of 5, spreads from southern Florida to central Virginia, including Virginia Beach, Atlanta, Miami, and Norfolk. 

The main threats are isolated tornadoes, wind gusts and large hail. 

Heavy rainfall is associated with the bulk of these storms. Flood watches are currently in effect for cities like Atlanta, Charlotte, Washington DC, Philadelphia and New York City, where rainfall of 2 to 4 inches is possible, with isolated totals exceeding 4 inches. 

Heavy rain will deluge much of the East on Tuesday, raising the flood threat from Florida to New England.

But there’s even more risk in parts of the Northeast, where snow lingers from the past weekend’s snowstorm.

When the snow melts, the water the snow kept locked up above the ground is now free to flow. Throw heavy rain on top of that water, and it creates a higher flood threat than either can do alone.

Snow depth across the Northeast as of January 9. Areas where rain combines with warmer temperatures to melt snow could amplify the flood threat.

How much additional water gets added into the flooding equation depends on how much water the snow contains, a measurement called snow water equivalent. In two equal-sized samples, heavy, wet snow will have a higher snow water equivalent – and therefore more water – than light, powdery snow.

When snowmelt is combined with heavy, falling rain, the runoff causes area rivers and streams to swell up or overflow.

But the rain on its own doesn’t melt the snow to a significant extent. It’s actually the warm air and the rain that melts snow considerably.

Temperatures will be very mild for January across much of the Eastern Seaboard as rain falls. New York City and Philadelphia will be in the 50s during the deluge later Tuesday and into Wednesday. Temperatures in Boston will hover near 40 degrees as rain drenches the area.

Snow falls on the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines, Iowa, on January 8.

A vast and disruptive storm is set to whip up miserable morning commutes as it blasts the Midwest with heavy snow and blizzard conditions while also blanketing the Southeast with damaging winds, rain and possible tornadoes – conditions that are expected to expand into the Northeast later Tuesday.

More than 40 million people are under severe storm threat on Tuesday with weather alerts stretching more than 2,000 miles from New Mexico to Maine, according to the Storm Prediction Center.

The system has already hit the South with hail storms, significant flooding and tornado threats and unleashed perilous blizzard conditions in parts of the central US, shutting down several highways and stranding drivers in frigid temperatures.

Amid severe blizzard conditions in Kansas on Monday, the state highway patrol said it had responded to more than 300 calls for help and nearly 70 crashes. But whiteout conditions were making it difficult to see and authorities were having difficulty with rescues, one trooper said on social media.

Widespread power outages are expected Tuesday as strong winds threaten to topple power poles and down trees in areas where the ground has been saturated by rain.

More than 200,000 homes and businesses in six states are already experiencing outages, mainly in Kansas, Alabama and Washington, according to tracker poweroutage.us.

Here’s what to expect Tuesday:

• Tornadoes threaten Southeast: More than 11 million people from the Florida Panhandle to North Carolina are at risk of seeing tornadoes, including some strong ones with winds over 110 mph. That includes metropolitan areas such as Jacksonville, Florida and Charleston South Carolina. A tornado watch is also in effect until 8 a.m. ET for southern parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama and the western Florida Panhandle.

• Rain could trigger damaging flooding: Flooding is a significant concern in areas where heavy rainfall is soaking already saturated ground. Several major metropolitan areas along the East Coast could see flooding, including Atlanta, Georgia, Washington, DC and New York City, where rainfall of 2-4 inches is possible.

• Strong winds threaten widespread power outages: Gusty winds could also cause widespread power outages Tuesday as more than half the US population – in areas stretching from the South to the Northeast – are under wind alerts.

• Treacherous blizzard conditions shift east: Blizzard warnings spread from New Mexico to Nebraska through Tuesday morning as the threat shifts from the Plains to the Midwest. Another 2-6 inches of snowfall are possible in the area, along with winds of up to 70 mph.

• Up to a foot of snow possible from central US to Northeast: Winter storm alerts are in effect for areas of eastern Kansas, Nebraska and eastern Wisconsin, as well as interior parts of the Northeast and New England. Widespread snowfall between 6-12 inches is possible and some areas could see even more. The snowfall will begin to let up in the central US on Tuesday and in the Midwest, Great Lakes and Northeast on Wednesday.

Read more about the massive storm here.