ABC News(NEW YORK) — Arctic air is moving over the Great Lakes and the Northeast Thursday morning, bringing bitter cold wind chills and heavy lake effect snow from Michigan to New York.
In Western New York, more than 9 inches of snow fell in Erie County Wednesday due to the lake effect. Roads were slick Wednesday and lingering slick spots continue Thursday morning.
Wind chills are in the teens and single digits in the Great Lakes and the Northeast Thursday morning, and it feels like it’s below freezing all the way to Atlanta and Birmingham, Alabama.
In the meantime, a new storm system is developing in the Gulf Coast Thursday into Friday, and it will move up the East Coast Friday into Saturday with heavy rain.
By Friday, the storm system will spread heavy rain from Florida to the Carolinas.
By Friday night into Saturday morning, heavy rain is expected in the Northeast, with snow cover in some areas. Frozen ground and flooding is possible.
In the west, a series of storms and lots of Pacific moisture will bring heavy rain to the West Coast and heavy snow to the mountains.
Already, seven western states, from Washington to Colorado, are under winter weather alerts for heavy snow.
Snow and rain is already falling in the West Thursday morning, and will continue into the weekend.
Through the weekend, rainfall could reach 2-4 inches in Northern California and Southern Oregon, and snow in the mountains from Washington to Colorado could reach 2-4 feet.
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