FOX is primarily inaccurate. This language for people planning to travel is very inflammatory. There will be storms and there will add misery to travel, but, the outcomes will not be lasting snow accumulation so much as slush and rain with wind and dangerously slippery conditions.
The current temperature map of the USA is below the FOX News terror alert.
There are absolutely no below zero temperatures on that map of the country. Correction, Idaho reached down to 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Snow can occur in cold temperatures but will not significantly accumulate unless the ground temperatures are freezing. Now, a frigid air mass can accompany a snow storm and start to cool the ground, but, it won’t happen overnight.
So, this is the way I see it. There will be storms and it will be cold with the arrival of the storms. Americans will want to don winter clothes during the storm, especially outside. But, the snow if it accumulated would be better news than if it didn’t. And it won’t, except, at higher elevations. The reason accumulation is good news is because it doesn’t saturate the ground and is a form of water storage. Why is that important? Because stored water in the form of snow doesn’t cause flooding.
I would be aware of melting snow. The melting snow is more like rain, except, slush is far more slippery than rain or snow. Slush in overnight temperatures also freezes. So, while there will be snow there will be hazards with this storm. I don’t know what the airlines are using to decide delays, but, short of high winds it would surprise me if deicers didn’t work well in freezing rain and slush conditions.
What concerns me more about the impending storms is water runoff and swollen creeks, streams, and rivers.
Any drivers of any age should be prepared for slippery roads and possible flash flood alerts.
