(WKBN) – A large storm is moving across the country with severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, heavy rain, gusty wind with colder temperatures and blowing snow.
This storm will impact our region near Youngstown, Ohio into tonight and Thursday with rain and a wintry mix possible. Colder air will move in behind the storm into the weekend.
When will the storm hit?
This large storm system stretches from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. It is slowly moving toward the east and will bring rain to our region tonight. The temperature will be cold enough that the chance for a wintry mix of rain, pockets of freezing rain, and some snow will be possible into the early morning hours of Thursday.
What you can expect from the big storm
The threat of rain will increase overnight as the deeper moisture from this storm sweeps into our part of eastern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania. The highest rain threat will be after midnight and into the early morning of Thursday.
Will the rain change to snow and freezing rain?
The air temperature will drop to around the 32°F mark through the evening and stick in that range overnight. At the same time, there will be a nose of warm air moving through the lower atmosphere keeping the threat of liquid precipitation in the forecast. With temperatures near the 32°F mark, there is a risk for pockets of freezing rain into the early morning Thursday.
There is also a small chance for some wet and slushy snow to mix in as the precipitation starts overnight. Any snow accumulation would be light and very slushy. A coating is possible if your location switches to this type of precipitation.
Future tracker at 3 a.m. Thursday.
The wintry mix will be possible through the early morning to around sunrise, or shortly after, Thursday.
Will this be an ice storm for Ohio and Pennsylvania?
This storm will create a problem with ice accumulation. The highest chance will be into the higher elevations of Pennsylvania into Thursday. There will also be heavier snow in Central Pennsylvania.
If you are traveling east into Pennsylvania Thursday, you may want to check ahead as the weather will reduce visibility and create slippery travel.
Our part of Eastern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania will have the chance at some light ice accumulation into the early morning. Any ice accumulation will melt as temperatures warm through the morning and cold rain showers continue into the day. The ice accumulation locally is expected to be light, with a range from no ice accumulation to a tenth of an inch.
Some spots in eastern Mercer County and northeast Trumbull County could approach up to two-tenths of an inch, or higher, if the cold air stays longer in the morning.
Again, any ice accumulation locally will melt back off as rain and warmer temperatures push in through the mid-morning hours.
How much rain will the storm bring?
The storm will bring a very cold rain, with temperatures in the mid- to low-30s Wednesday night and Thursday morning. The rain could add up to close to a half inch in spots. Some local areas could pick up more.
This storm will bring gusty wind, too
The wind will pick up this evening and increase through the night. You can expect wind gusts to increase through the 20-mph range and push into the 30-mph range through the early morning. Gusts up to 40-mph are possible. This will make the cold rain feel even colder.
This big storm has created blizzard conditions and severe storms already
This large storm has created blizzard conditions across the northern plains. Parts of Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska have been hit with windy cold conditions and blowing snow.
Severe storms and tornadoes have been moving through the southern United States. Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Mississippi have all reported confirmed tornadoes out of this storm.
