Over 80 million people are preparing for a major winter storm that will bring high winds, heavy snow, and frigid temperatures to a large swath of the country.
Winter storm watches, warnings, and advisories are in effect from Colorado to Maine as the storm makes its way through Tennesse towards Washington, D.C. on Thursday (January 6). By Friday morning, the storm will turn north as it moves up the coast, bringing even more snow to the Northeast, which is still digging out from a winter storm five days ago.
The storm, which AccuWeather meteorologist Joe Lundberg said will develop into the first bomb cyclone of 2022, is dumping heavy snow at a rate of one to two inches per hour in Nashville.
"Snow has spread across much of Middle Tennessee, including Nashville Metro, and travel is deteriorating quickly. 1-2 inches per hour could fall at times this morning," the National Weather Service in Nashville tweeted as the snow began to fall.
By 3:30 p.m. ET, some areas were reporting up to seven inches of snow on the ground.
The winter storm is expected to dump about six inches of snow in Washington, D.C., which received about a foot of snow on Monday.
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam declared a state of emergency with the storm bearing down. Monday's storm forced officials to close a 50-mile stretch of I-95, leaving hundreds of motorists stranded for over 24 hours.
"These back-to-back storms will generate landmark winter weather that requires extra flexibility, particularly as many continue to deal with power outages," Northam said.
The storm is expected to strengthen as it moves up the coast and could dump up to a foot of snow across Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Maine.
The East Coast isn't the only area of the country dealing with a major winter storm. Another storm is expected to bring flooding rains and heavy mountain snow to the Pacific Northwest. Parts of Oregon and Washington are under a flood watch, with some areas expecting up to five inches of rain.