Ice likely across parts of the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic

16 Dec 2020, 9:31 am

Light ice accumulations are expected across parts of the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic Wednesday as a low pressure system strengthens and moves into the Northeast.

Winter weather alerts are in place from north Georgia through Virginia and Maryland and west into parts of Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio.

Ice accumulations are expected to be around 0.1″ from Georgia through the mountains of North Carolina. This comes from a mix of freezing rain and sleet. A glaze of ice building up on bridges, overpasses and secondary roads could make for dangerous driving conditions through the rest of the day. Snow could mix in as well with totals in areas above 2000 feet around 1-2″.

Ice is expected to be the thickest in the mountains of North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia where Winter Storm Warnings are in place. These spots could pick up more than 0.25″ of ice and 2-4″ of snow. Thick ice glazing could bring down trees and power lines in addition to sticking on the road and making driving very dangerous.

Any sleet or freezing rain should be wrapping up across Georgia and South Carolina by early afternoon. Freezing rain, sleet and snow will continue through parts of North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia throughout the afternoon and evening. While most of the moisture will clear out by midnight, some wrap around moisture on the back side of the low will bring occasional snow showers to the mountains of West Virginia overnight. Snow totals there could top

Stay with WeatherNation for all the updates on this system, including the timing for heavy snow totals in the Northeast.

About the author

Kara James

Kara has always been passionate about weather and knew from an early age that she wanted to become a meteorologist. Living in different regions of the country and experiencing weather events ranging from ice storms to tornadoes drove her to pursue a bachelor's degree in meteorology from the University of Oklahoma. Throughout college, storm chasing became a regular event for Kara, where she saw fir... Load Morest-hand the power of the atmosphere. Kara graduated cum laude from OU and decided to further her meteorology education with a Master's degree from Mississippi State University. The deadly April 27, 2011 tornado outbreak struck while Kara was studying at MSU; her first “Dixie Alley” tornado event and an up close glimpse into the destruction of the storms she so closely studied. Her broadcast career began in Elvis’ birthplace, Tupelo, Mississippi, where she earned her Certified Broadcast Meteorologist seal from the American Meteorological Society. Kara's career has included coverage of all types of severe weather including tornado events, flooding and tropical systems across multiple southern states. Recently she helped cover the 2020 Easter Sunday deadly tornado outbreak in southeast Mississippi. In her free time, you can find Kara outdoors exploring new areas with her mini poodle,Truffles. Kara is also an avid runner and frequently races in 5Ks, 10Ks and half marathons. Say hi to Kara on Twitter and Facebook!