Winter-weary Northeast residents are readying themselves for the second storm of the week, a day after heavy snow fell on the Midwest, forcing classes to be canceled and government and business offices to close. Anywhere from a few inches to a foot or more of snow is expected to fall on East Coast states, and some will get the freezing rain and sleet that makes driving treacherous. It’s their second go-round since Monday.
ARKANSAS
A day after snow, sleet and freezing rain pushed through Arkansas, leaving thousands without power, more wintry precipitation is forecast.
Lows Wednesday may be in the 20s in northern Arkansas and the 30s in the central and south regions. But there are chances of snow across north and central Arkansas starting Wednesday and running into Friday.
CONNECTICUT
Connecticut’s governor and legislative leaders have agreed to delay the start of the General Assembly’s annual session because of snow.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy says legislative leaders agreed to move the planned Wednesday opening to Thursday. The joint session will begin at noon Thursday when Malloy delivers his State of the State Address.
Malloy also ordered a delayed opening for state offices on Wednesday, with nonessential state employees to report at 10 a.m.
ILLINOIS
Central Illinois is bracing for another round of heavy snowfall and is closing schools and preparing warming shelters for people who may need them.
Weather forecasters predict 3 to 5 inches of additional snow will fall overnight into Wednesday. Winds are expected to gust to 23 mph.
IOWA
Snow that began falling on Tuesday is expected to leave several inches by early Wednesday.
Authorities say road conditions may have contributed to a vehicle collision in Des Moines that killed one person.
INDIANA
As the snow continues, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis will remain closed through 5 p.m. Wednesday. Many businesses also have announced they will be closed and local school districts have canceled classes. Courts in Indianapolis were to remain closed until noon.
KANSAS
Gov. Sam Brownback has ordered state offices in the Topeka area closed for a second consecutive day because of a winter storm.
The Legislature also canceled all of its meetings for Wednesday.
Authorities blame slick conditions for a two-car crash in southeast Kansas that killed two people.
The northern half of the state is expected to have wind chill temperatures of 15 to 25 below zero throughout Wednesday, with actual daytime temperature of 5 to 10 degrees.
KENTUCKY
A day after several inches of snow fell, Kentucky will get freezing rain.
Paducah has a chance of freezing rain, possibly mixed with some snow showers, into Wednesday morning, followed by snow flurries.
In Louisville, freezing rain overnight will be followed by a slight chance of snow showers. The high will be near 31 degrees.
MAINE
Maine is under a winter storm warning as a big snowstorm makes its way into the region.
Snow is expected to begin falling before sunrise Wednesday, intensifying during the morning commute, and tapering off in the afternoon.
Maine could see 4 to 8 inches.
MARYLAND
The National Weather Service has issued warnings for a wide area from western Maryland to northern Delaware, including the suburban counties north of Baltimore and west of Washington.
Those areas could get a quarter-inch of ice by Wednesday morning. Counties in western and northern Maryland could get up to a third of an inch.
Power companies say they expect outages.
MASSACHUSETTS
In a winter that already has seen several storms, Massachusetts is preparing for another round of snow.
Communities including Boston, Worcester and Springfield have closed schools and banned street parking to prepare for snow removal.
A winter storm warning will remain in effect through late Wednesday afternoon. Six to 12 inches of snow is expected, with 3 to 6 inches in southeastern areas before a changeover to sleet and rain. The higher elevations of the Berkshires in western Massachusetts could see up to 15 inches.
MICHIGAN
Another winter storm is pushing across southern Michigan, with 5 to 8 inches of snow expected in three counties along the Indiana and Ohio state lines.
The weather service has issued a storm warning for St. Joseph, Branch and Hillsdale counties through Wednesday afternoon.
Lesser amounts of snow are expected in areas farther north, including in metropolitan Detroit.
MISSISSIPPI
Gov. Phil Bryant has declared a state of emergency in preparation for the severe weather.
Northern portions of the state could see winter weather conditions, including ice and freezing rain. Additional portions of the state could see heavy rain and thunderstorms, which could cause flooding.
Forecasts for Coahoma, Desoto and Tunica counties calls for up to four-tenths an inch of ice and up to two-tenths an inch of sleet. In Benton, Marshall, Panola, Tate, Tallahatchie and Quitman counties weather experts say residents could see up to two-tenths an inch of ice and sleet.
MISSOURI
Some schools and businesses in Missouri are expected to remain closed Wednesday as snow tapers off in the morning.
The Missouri Department of Transportation warns that wind gusts could make road conditions dangerous, even after roads are plowed.
The snow is expected to be followed by frigid temperatures, dropping to 10 to 15 degrees below zero along the Iowa border by Thursday morning.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Gov. Maggie Hassan is warning New Hampshire residents to limit their travel during the upcoming storm.
A storm is expected to start early Wednesday morning, with the heaviest snowfall through midday. The forecast is calling for 6 to 10 inches in the southern part of the state, 4 to 8 inches in central New Hampshire and 2 to 4 inches in northern areas.
NEW JERSEY
New Jersey residents will soon be dealing with a wintry mix of snow, rain and sleet that could make for a messy morning commute.
Forecasters say precipitation that arrived late Tuesday will continue through early Wednesday afternoon. Icy and slick conditions are expected.
Northern areas could see ice and a few inches of snow, while central areas will see the wintry mix transition to rain that could be heavy at times. Southern areas should mostly see just rain.
Gov. Chris Christie has declared a state of emergency.
NEW MEXICO
Forecasters say a cold front Wednesday could bring more snow to the northeastern part of the state and could even bring snow to dry southeast areas.
NEW YORK
The New York metropolitan area is bracing for another bout of Old Man Winter.
Snow is expected to fall Wednesday morning before changing to a wintry mix of sleet and freezing rain.
Manhattan and the Bronx should get anywhere from 3 to 6 inches of snow and up to a half of inch of ice. Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island are looking at 2 to 4 inches of snow and a coating of ice.
A winter storm warning is in effect until 6 p.m. Wednesday on Long Island.
In central and eastern New York state, accumulations of 6 to 12 inches are expected by Wednesday evening, with 5 to 10 inches in the mid-Hudson Valley and 12 to 16 inches in higher elevations of the eastern Catskills.
Western New York likely will get 6 to 12 inches by late Wednesday.
OHIO
A winter storm warning is in effect through Wednesday morning for Ohio.
Heavy, blowing snow is expected to make driving hazardous overnight, but ice could be the biggest threat in the Cincinnati area and several southern Ohio counties to its east.
Ohio has had a string of blizzards and frigid temperatures, beginning in early December.
OKLAHOMA
A storm that dumped several inches of snow on Oklahoma is to be followed by bitter cold Wednesday and Thursday, with lows in the single digits.
More snow is in the forecast for Wednesday night into Thursday, with up to 3 inches possible in some areas.
PENNSYLVANIA
A messy mix of winter precipitation, from snow and sleet to rain and freezing rain, is expected to hit Pennsylvania.
Forecasters predict heavy snowfall across northern Pennsylvania and a wintry mix through central and southern Pennsylvania. Forecasters say snow accumulation will range from a couple of inches in the south about a foot near the New York line.
Some schools are opening late; others have declared Wednesday a washout. State transportation trucks put down pre-emptive coatings of road salt, while utility crews prepared for the possibility of ice taking down power lines and trees.
RHODE ISLAND
Another winter storm is expected to bring several inches of snow to Rhode Island.
The storm, expected to start overnight, will create a difficult commute Wednesday morning, then last into the afternoon.
Forecasts call for 8 to 12 inches of snow in Providence and Kent counties, and 4 to 8 inches of snow along the coast.
State offices will remain open but classes have been called off in some communities, including in Providence. Some parking bans are in effect.
WISCONSIN
Severe winter conditions have caused officials to ask thousands of homeowners in far northern Wisconsin to leave their faucets running 24 hours a day to prevent water pipes and sewer lines from freezing.
The 9,000 Rhinelander residents won’t be charged for using the extra water. Temperatures in the area are expected to be below zero for much of the week.
WYOMING
Bitter cold will continue to envelop Wyoming, which is under wind chill warnings.
The National Weather service says wind chills could hit 25 to 35 degrees below zero into Wednesday morning in a large part of western and central Wyoming.
High temperatures Wednesday will struggle to reach zero in many areas. By night, lows will be in the 10 to 20 below range. Temperatures aren’t expected to warm up again until the weekend.
VERMONT
The storm is expected bring to 6 to 12 inches of snow to parts of Vermont.
Snow will start falling early Wednesday morning with the heaviest snowfall through midday.
The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning with forecasts of 4 to 8 inches in northern Vermont, including Burlington, and 6 to 12 inches in the central and southern parts of the state.
(Photo: AP)
