Messy weekend wintry mix continues in Northern states

Truckers will hit more wet and slushy conditions this weekend from the Great Lakes to the Northeast.

Two cold fronts will produce periods of mixed precipitation — rain, snow, sleet and freezing rain — Friday and Saturday. Most travel impacts will be across Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio through Friday night and early Saturday morning, then from West Virginia to Maine the rest of Saturday. Gusty winds may lead to occasional blowing snow and reduced visibility.

The interior Northeast may see lingering snow Sunday. Parts of the Interstate 95 corridor will mainly be wet, with wintry weather staying to the west of the highway.

As of Friday morning, the National Weather Service had a winter weather advisory in place for portions of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where up to 6 inches of snow could pile up from Friday afternoon until early Saturday morning. A winter weather advisory was also posted for northern Maine, where 4 to 8 inches of snow could accumulate by early Friday evening, as well as a half-inch of sleet and one-tenth inch of ice.

The NWS may issue additional winter weather alerts as the storm develops.

Major lanes of concern

• Interstate 75 from the Michigan-Canada border to Toledo, Ohio.
• Interstate 80 from Chicago to State College, Pennsylvania.
• Interstate 90 from Chicago to Albany, New York.
• Interstate 94 from Minneapolis to Detroit.
• Interstate 95 from the Maine-Canada border to Washington.

Other notable weekend weather

More record heat could scorch areas of California and the Four Corners region Friday through Sunday. Some places have already set daily record highs this week in the 80s and lower 90s. Similar temperatures are in the forecast this weekend.

Look for windy conditions across the Plains on Friday. Gusts will reach 45 to 55 mph from the Dakotas southward to Nebraska, Iowa and Illinois. This will create an elevated risk of rollovers for drivers.

Click here for more FreightWaves articles by Nick Austin.

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Source: freightwaves - Messy weekend wintry mix continues in Northern states
Editor: Nick Austin