ABC News(NEW YORK) — A major storm is making its way across the U.S. as a separate system dumped 15 inches of snow in Washington, 18 inches in Oregon and 16 inches in Idaho, with Minnesota seeing 9 inches and Wisconsin seeing 8 inches.
This was Seattle’s fourth snowstorm in a week and, with more than 20 inches already, the city’s experiencing its snowiest month in 50 years.
Thirty-one states are under alerts for cold, snow and ice Tuesday morning. Some schools are closed, but New York City public schools will remain open, according to a Twitter post from the city’s department of education.
About 1,600 flights in or out of the U.S. had been canceled as of approximately 5:30 a.m. EST.
The storm set to hammer the East was centered over Chicago earlier Tuesday morning and stretched all the way from the Gulf Coast to the mid-Atlantic. Heavy rain also is moving through the South.
Snow likely will begin falling in Philadelphia during rush hour and continue through the morning before becoming sleet into the afternoon. New York City probably will see snow around 9 a.m., the peak of rush hour for many, continuing into the early afternoon where the snow also becomes sleet. Boston is expecting snow.
Further inland, in central Pennsylvania to upstate New York to New England, certain spots could see a foot of snow before the storm moves out of the Northeast on Wednesday morning.
Washington, D.C., should see rain exclusively from the big storm, with Philadelphia seeing 1 to 2 inches of snow and sleet, New York seeing 3 inches and Boston seeing 4 to 5 inches.
Back in the Midwest, Wisconsin and Michigan may be in for a foot of snow with ice expected from Chicago to Detroit.
The storm seen Monday in the Pacific Northeast is heading for California, which should see significant rainfall near the Bay Area and eventually Los Angeles.
Additional storms are lining up in the Pacific Ocean and are expected to deliver rain from Seattle to San Diego, and snow to the Cascades and Sierra Nevada and Rockies, throughout the week.
Northern California could see more than 4 inches of rain, with high elevations possibly seeing even more snow.
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