Radar as of 2:22pm: Below is the additional  snow forecast.

Remember to keep the above clear of snow while -- if you use a portable generator -- keeping it away from air intakes. 

Because of the controversy pertaining to the forecasts of last weekend's storm, we are going to review our performance with links so you can judge for yourself.  The amount of controversy churning in mainstream media as well as social media regarding the forecasts of last weekend's winter storm continues. This is especially the case as a new, and major, winter storm is in its early stages for the Carolinas and surrounding region. The gist of the criticism is that irresponsible forecasters are making it difficult for the public to distinguish between legitimate storm warnings and hype. I agree that can be a problem.  The stories out of Nashville and other more rural areas through Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana, which are still suffering from last weekend's ice storm are tragic and heartbreaking. The death toll from this storm is now in the vicinity of 150 with a surprising number of people having frozen to death even in places like New York City.  Hype-Free Forecast...

Courtesy of my friends at AccuWeather, here is the latest forecast for snow amounts.  This is going to produce record snow amounts in places and will cripple transportation in the region. There will be isolated power outages.  Here is a summary of National Weather Service winter weather warnings. Pink = winter storm warning. Purple = winter weather advisory.  Dark turquoise = winter storm watch.  Please remember I provide updates on Twitter/X   @usweatherexpert . 

Here is video of a tree exploding (due to sap freezing and expanding) from earlier this week.

This evening in the one-year anniversary of the horrible mid-air crash in Washington, D.C. The National Transportation Safety Board announced it has concluded its investigation into the mid-air collision of a U.S. Army helicopter and an American Airlines flight from Wichita to Washington's Reagan Airport. Sixty-seven people lost their lives. It was the first mid-air collision in the United States involving a commercial airliner since 1960. There is more on the crash here .  U.S. Figure Skating With the Olympics beginning in a week, it is worth noting that a number of members of the U.S. Skating Team were on board after their yearly competition, which was held in Wichita. According to media reports, 28 people associated with U.S. skating were killed in the crash.  A prayer vigil was held in Wichita today and the Diocese of Washington held a special Mass for the victims and their families. The City of Alexandria announced today that it is going to build a memorial on the bank ...

This forecast has been updated. New forecast of here .  Earlier in the week there was a great of concern in the news media and social media about a major blizzard on the East Coast this weekend. Of course, we were cautioning that it was too soon to make that type of forecast and that the more accurate computer models were not  showing a blizzard.  Now, it seems pretty clear that no major coastal blizzard will occur.  However,  there will be a winter storm from Georgia to Virginia. Pink is a winter storm warning, purple is a winter weather advisory (a lesser condition) and the dark blue is a winter storm watch. The watch includes Atlanta (right on the edge) as well as Charlotte, Raleigh, Richmond and Columbia. Given the issues with the airline system from the weekend storm, I would -- strongly -- recommend getting on the phone with your airline if you are supposed to change planes at the Atlanta or Charlotte hubs and route around the storm. For example, if you ar...

Wichita Eagle Phil Ruffin is the epitome of the American Dream.  As a native Wichitan who splits his time between Vegas and Wichita, the Wichita Eagle  has a fascinating interview with Phil. You will find it here .  Phil Ruffin is President Donald Trump's best friend. They've had a close relationship for years.  I especially found Phil's concerns about the middle class important and worthy of serious consideration. We conservatives need to stop the crony capitalism, the fraud, and the waste and get back to fixing The American Dream.  In addition to owning the Wichita Hyatt Regency and Wichita Marriott Hotels, he is far better known for owning Circus Circus in Vegas and half of the Trump Hotel in Vegas as well as numerous other investments high profile investments. Phil is the epitome of the "self made man." Phil visiting with my bosses Barry (left) and Joel Myers during the AccuWeather Enterprise Solutions' open house when we moved to a much larger facility in...

David's description is literally correct.  More than 1,000  private jets carried people to the event last year. 

I believe a lot of people have an unrealistic view of what needs to be done to recover from a major ice storm. Comments like these are common on social media today. Unfortunately, this comment reveals a lack of understanding as to what has to happen to get power back up and running. If media reports are correct, more than 200 power poles in Nashville were snapped. It takes a considerable amount of time to get each of them replaced. There is also damage to the high voltage transmission lines. Can you imagine having a job where you have to sit on the skid of a helicopter in freezing weather to make repairs?! The linemen are heroes!! Given that hundreds  of extra crews and utility trucks were brought in ahead of the storm (based on the weather forecasts of a major ice storm), I'm not sure what Robby would have done differently. Which brings us to personal responsibility.  Starting the morning of the 22nd, and continuing through the weekend, you saw this and ever more dire warning...

If it were me, I'd have a winter storm watch in effect in North Carolina, southern Virginia, southern West Virginia, eastern Tennessee and adjacent parts of Kentucky, South Carolina and Georgia.  As to the weekend storm... Here is the statistical presentation of the chances of 4" or more of snow this weekend:  Please note the relatively probabilities over North Carolina and nearby areas.  It is hard to see but there is a small 70% area in eastern Massachusetts. 

Please let me add my thanks for all of the people who have worked tirelessly -- including meteorologists -- to forecast and recover from the just-ended storm. News reports say 30 people have been killed. While that is a terrible tragedy to their friends and loved ones, storms of this nature used to kill as many as 500 . Timely, accurate forecasts make a huge difference.  Associated Press photo of ice storm damage in Nashville  Consider how linemen from around the nation were pre-positioned to quickly restore power in the areas that have been devastated by the ice storm. Even with that head start, there are, nationally, still about 1,200,000 people without power. The worst-off states are below. Northern Mississippi looks like a war zone. That is where the greatest amount of freezing rain fell. The extreme problems extend from there northeast to Nashville. Below is the current headline from the Nashville newspaper. Please note the comment about carbon monoxide. The 230,000 = cus...

Big Climate sent out press releases last week about how Spain -- in nice weather -- managed to run their electric grid with wind, solar and batteries for seven hours. Unfortunately, people need electricity 24/7/365. Above is what happens when a storm rolls through. If Texas used a greater percentage of wind and solar (with solar panels covered by snow and ice in places), it would have been a disaster.  And, in New York and New England...

Both the media and social media today are talking about a "blizzard" on the East Coast this weekend.  This is speculation! The more accurate models (ECMWF and UKMET) do not  show a blizzard. Even if they did, we are five days out from the event which is too far to have any real confidence in a forecast.  I do agree that temperatures will continue below to well below average for the next 5 to 10 days east of the Rockies and, especially, east of the Mississippi River.   Just like with the just-departed storm, I'll begin forecasting in a day or two when we can have some confidence in the forecast.  One note: I agree with those saying that it will be Wednesday or Thursday before the airline system running normally. 

Addition at 11:15am Monday. This is the NWS's product which shows the total amount of ice. The white star in northern Mississippi is where the greatest amount of ice accumulated, 1.24" just east of Oxford, Mississippi. Compare to the map below which was ice effect's forecasts five days  in advance. Note: the ice from Virginia to New Jersey fell in the time interval beyond the range of the forecast below.  While this forecast wasn't perfect (West Virginia's ice would be forecast in later versions of the forecast), it provides lots of time for utilities to bring in crews from around the nation to speed the recovery.  -------- original post -------- This is the forecast on this blog Wednesday . It is from the NWS and where they expected the worst effects of the pending ice storm. This, via AccuWeather is where the power outages are the worst at this time (Sunday afternoon). At first glance they don't look the same because they are different base maps. But if you c...

I am providing addition updates on Twitter/X   @usweatherexpert.  6 to 8 inches of snow is forecast by 8pm in the outlined area.  Here is the forecast of additional  snow from now to 10am Monday.  This will be the last forecast update on this storm.  Most every airport has major flight cancellations. Reagan and LaGuardia are closed. Check Amtrak before headed to the station.  Speaking of the forecast, there were quite a few people on Twitter/X and elsewhere complaining that we had over-forecast the amount of snow. Some of them claimed only an inch or two was going to fall on Wichita. Similar comments were made about Kansas City. Wichita had 6.6" and southwest Kansas City had more than 5 inches. Looks like the forecast was correct, after all. Generally, it is better to wait until the storm is over before criticizing the forecast.  Then again, we do not excel at spelling. This is for the American Meteorological Society's Annual Meeting in Houston th...

Heavy  freezing rain (ice storm conditions!) is forecast to move across the red area between now and 6pm Eastern time. Get off the roads and prepare for power outages.  Related: all flights canceled at LaGuardia and Reagan Airports. Please  check with the airline before you head out regardless of where you live in the nation as these issues spread. 

The ice storm, unfortunately, continues as forecast. Roughly 2.5 million people are without power. Those numbers will continue to rise. In Nashville, 91% of the homes and businesses are without power. 

Severe thunderstorm watches are already in effect. Please monitor the weather in this area.