A bone-chilling ‘nor'easter’ storm threatens to dump up to five feet of snow as ‘El Nino’ sends temperatures into freefall.
Thermometers will nosedive across swaths of the United States this weekend amid warnings for icy gales, rain and blizzards.
A furious snowstorm hurtling towards the US could develop into a ‘nor'easter’ – a snow-laden Atlantic storm blowing in from the northeast.
The US National Weather Service has in the past few hours issued advisories for severe winter weather across six western states, including New Mexico, California, Arizona, Colorado, Utah and Nevada.
Swathes of the east brace for weekend snow
The Weather Channel
A spokesperson said: “An active weather pattern looks to continue for the foreseeable future as a series of systems follow an energetic jet stream eastward from the West Coast through the South.
“Accumulating snow, especially for the higher terrain, is expected.
“This storm tracks eastward along the Gulf coast then to the Mid-Atlantic this weekend. Impacts from heavy rain and snow are expected.”
The winter storm is then expected to charge eastwards across the US unleashing a cocktail of rain, snow and bitter polar winds.
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Heavy snow builds later in the weekend
The Weather Channel
American meteorologists have been watching for a severe winter blast which may be linked to a powerful El Nino, which set in last year.
El Nino is the result of a change in the direction of the easterly Trade Winds, triggering a change in ocean temperatures in the Pacific.
It can have an impact on global weather patterns, and in parts of the US can lead to colder winter weather.
El Nino is continuing to strengthen, sparking warnings that parts of the US could be at risk of a particularly harsh ‘El Nino’ winter.
Advisories are also in place across the west
NOAA
Jim Dale, US weather correspondent for British Weather Services, said: “El Nino is still there, and has been strengthening since it was confirmed last year.
“This could add to the roller-coaster winter, and as temperatures drop, we could see up to five feet of snow over the mountains, particularly in Utah and Colorado.
“There is definitely snow coming towards the end of the first week of the month, it may not be this weekend that brings the worst of it, but this is something we are now looking at as we go through the start of the year.”
A deep region of low pressure will strengthen this weekend as it surges northwards towards the east coast.
New York and parts of New England face ‘significant’ snowfall this weekend, according to The Weather Channel’s Chris Dolce.
He said: “The track of the low will allow the storm to produce snow or a mix of rain and snow in areas where its moisture interacts with colder air to the north and west of the low's track from the Ohio Valley into parts of the Appalachians, mid-Atlantic and Northeast Saturday and Saturday night.
“Parts of southern New England, including locations that are in close proximity to Interstate 95, have a greater chance of significant snow.
“The storm could go on to become a nor'easter, which means it would have winds blowing from a northeast direction along parts of the Eastern Seaboard.”
Weather Channel meteorologist Domenica Davis added: “We do know that this is going to be a strong storm this weekend.”