Winter storm: Ice, heavy snowfall, potential journey woes and energy outages anticipated within the Southeast

Up to 80 million people from this northeastern region are under winter weather warnings, CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam said.

“I am particularly concerned about the upcoming ice storm that will hit interior South and North Carolina. Up to 3/4 inch of ice could accumulate after a round of heavy snow,” said Van Dam.

“This will certainly cause power outages in the area if wind gusts exceed 40mph,” he added.

Greenville, South Carolina, and Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina are under winter storm warnings, weather forecasters said. Up to a foot of snow could fall near the edge of the Blue Ridge escarpment in Greenville, and up to 20 inches of snow could accumulate in that area above 4,000 feet. A tenth of an inch of ice is also possible.

The National Weather Service has issued an ice storm warning for parts of South Carolina in effect through early Monday, with temperatures expected to remain below freezing through early next week.

“Significant amounts of ice accumulation make travel dangerous or impossible. Travel is strongly discouraged,” said the NWS office in Greenville.Bookmark this page to see if there is snow forecast for your area

Charlotte could get up to a foot of snow and possibly up to half an inch of ice in the foothills. Raleigh is expected to get up to 2 inches of snow and maybe a quarter inch of ice, forecasters said.

The NWS warns of ice accumulation become very dangerous along and east of I-85 including Spartanburg, South Carolina up to Salisbury, North Carolina. This includes the entire Greater Charlotte area. “The highest snowfall totals are expected along the Appalachian Spine and over the lower Great Lakes,” according to the National Weather Service said early Sunday.

“Most significant glaciation is expected over the Carolinas this morning. Significant impacts are expected for travel through these regions,” the NWS said.

Snowfall rates could exceed an inch per hour from northeast Georgia to the western Carolinas and far east Tennessee This was announced by the storm forecast center. Heavy snow is also possible in western Virginia. From the Mid-Atlantic to New England, This was announced by the NWS, “Precipitation is expected to begin as snow before transitioning to ice/sleet and eventually rain as the storm center is approached.”

The governors of Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia declared states of emergency, allowing resources to be positioned ahead of the storm’s arrival.

Parts of north and central Georgia could also see strong winds Sunday, the National Weather Service in Atlanta said.

“With high winds and the potential for winter weather, we are very concerned about downed trees and power lines cutting power through Sunday, so prepare now!” the service wrote on Twitter on Saturday night.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp ordered the Department of Defense to prepare 1,000 National Guard troops to help respond to the storm.

Mid-Atlantic and Northeast

The storm will turn northeast toward the East Coast on Sunday and Monday.

Some snow will fall in large metropolitan areas, but a switch to rain will hold back accumulations. Washington could get 2-4 inches while Philadelphia could get 1-2 inches. New York and Boston are expected to get about an inch each.

Heavier snow is expected elsewhere, with more than a foot expected in some spots.

“As is usual with this storm stretch, the Shenandoah Valley back toward the Alleghenies will be the likely winner in terms of highest snowfall totals.” NWS Baltimore said Saturday. “7 to 10 inches is possible, but over a foot isn’t out of the question where heavier bands form.”

Snowfall intensity in the region can be heavy enough to evade significant icing, but NWS Baltimore warns that untreated surfaces can still create dangerous travel conditions as ice accumulates.

Most of the snowfall will occur from Sunday afternoon through Monday morning.

Downtown cities like Charleston, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Syracuse and Burlington, Vermont will see the heaviest snow.

Before the snow event hits the region, the Northeast will face frigid temperatures and dangerous wind chills, forecasters said.

Coastal flooding is also expected

In addition to the potential for snowfall, strong easterly winds associated with the storm system could cause major coastal flooding of up to 3 feet above ground in some areas along the northeast coast at high tide.

Parts of New York City, Long Island and some areas of Connecticut are under coastal flood warnings, forecasters said.

The timing of the east-south wind shift largely determines the severity of flooding, with moderate flooding potential if the winds shift before the tide.

“Widespread moderate to locally large flooding of vulnerable areas is possible near the shoreline and shoreline, including streets, parking lots, parks, lawns, and homes and businesses with basements near the shoreline,” the NWS said in New York on Saturday.

Flooding could cause road closures and structural damage along the Atlantic Seaboard.

CNN meteorologists Allison Chinchar, Chad Myers, Dave Hennen, Monica Garrett, and Haley Brink contributed to this story