ARLINGTON, Va. − The nation's capital was digging out Wednesday after a significant winter storm slammed parts of the region with more than 6 inches of snow. Meanwhile, a second storm was forecast to begin its assault on parts of the Midwest.
More than 90 million Americans were under winter weather advisories or warnings Wednesday morning. Major cities like Chicago, Detroit, and Kansas City, Missouri, were among the locations expected to experience the most significant impact from the second storm.
The storm system that blanketed the Washington, D.C. suburb of Arlington dumped more than a foot of snow in parts of Virginia and West Virginia after merely skimming much of the Midwest. However, the latest storm is expected to cause snow accumulation across nearly 2,000 miles, stretching from Colorado to Michigan and Maine, according to AccuWeather.
The National Weather Service forecasted 3-6 inches of snow to fall in the Chicago area through Wednesday night, with Milwaukee expecting 5-9 inches. In Detroit, total snow accumulations of 3-5 inches were forecast, with ice accumulations around one-tenth of an inch, while locally higher amounts of snow and ice will be possible.
Late Wednesday and Thursday, the storm will roll through the East Coast, delivering a wintry mix to Washington, D.C., while dropping 2-4 inches of snow in Maine. Major travel disruptions are anticipated as snow falls on some of the nation's busiest roads and airports, AccuWeather warned.
The storm could be the biggest of the season for several Midwest cities, including Detroit and Chicago, AccuWeather noted. Chicago's largest snowfall this year was 2.2 inches, measured at O'Hare Airport on January 10. Chicago is among the North Central states that are lagging behind the typical seasonal snowfall, registering only 10 inches as of Monday, compared to a historical average of 24.5 inches for this point in the season.
Snowfall in Milwaukee was at 39% of the historical average for the date; 44% for Minneapolis and 56% in Detroit.
Forecasters noted that the snow falling in the Mid-Atlantic is dry and fluffy to the north of Washington, D.C., but heavier and wetter to the south. The type of snow depends on air temperature, which determines whether the snow is the powdery kind that skiers love or the heavy, wet snow that's difficult to shovel.
Wet snow occurs when the air temperature near the surface is above freezing, causing the snowflakes to partially melt before reaching the ground. This results in snowflakes that are sticky and easily adhere to outdoor surfaces, explained CompuWeather meteorologist Eric DeRoche.
In contrast, dry snow is more common when the surface air temperature is below freezing. Unlike wet snow, dry snow is powdery and cannot easily be formed into snowballs or snowmen. Colder air temperatures correlate to lighter and fluffier snow that contains less water per inch.
The weight of snow can vary dramatically: A cubic foot of dry, powdery snow might weigh 3 pounds, while a cubic foot of heavy, wet snow can weigh as much as 10 pounds.
