Dangerous Ice Storm Hitting Southern U.S.

A state of emergency has been declared for all of Alabama, Northern Georgia, Northern Mississippi, and Northern Louisiana as the South's second serious winter storm of 2014 spreads snow, sleet, and freezing rain across the region on Tuesday and Wednesday. Freezing rain at a temperature of 29° was falling at 9 am EST Tuesday morning in northern Mississippi in Columbus, and in Birmingham, Alabama, where it was 32°. The storm, called Winter Storm Pax, begins its most dangerous phase Tuesday night into Wednesday, when rain changes to freezing rain from Eastern Georgia through Central South Carolina. As much as 1" of freezing rain is expected in Augusta, Georgia and Columbia, South Carolina, and widespread power outages would result if these ice amounts materialize. Atlanta, Georgia, which was shut down by the 2.6" of snow Winter Storm Leon brought to the city on January 28, is expected to receive a nasty mix of freezing rain, snow, and sleet Tuesday night and Wednesday from the new storm, making travel dangerous or impossible. Just a slight shift in the track of the storm or atmospheric conditions could greatly alter the amount of snow and freezing rain this storm brings, and residents impacted by this storm should follow the latest forecast updates. One positive aspect: the cold air behind this storm will be short-lived, and high temperatures are expected to warm into the upper 40s by Thursday across South Carolina and Northern Georgia.


Figure 1. Predicted freezing rain amounts for the period ending at 6 pm CST Wednesday, February 12, 2014. Image credit: National Weather Service Southern Region.

Heavy snow for the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast coast Wednesday night and Thursday
The storm will move up the Eastern Seaboard Wednesday night into Thursday, potentially bringing six or more inches of snow to major East Coast cities, including Washington D.C., Baltimore, New York City, and Philadelphia. However, depending upon the exact track of the storm, rain may mix with the snow near the coast, resulting in snowfall amounts under six inches in New York City. The winds from the storm are not going to be strong by Nor'easter standards, and only minor coastal flooding is expected from the storm. In Philadelphia, where 6 - 10" of snow are predicted, the storm could set a bit of history. If Philadelphia International Airport receives 6 inches or more of snow from this system, it would be the first time since record keeping began during the winter of 1884-5 that Philadelphia has had four separate six inch or greater snowstorms in a winter.


Figure 2. Remote-controlled robot snowplow, available for $7,900 from superdroidrobots.com.

Robot snow shoveling help?
For those of you with a little extra disposable income who are sick of shoveling this winter's epic snows, check out this 393-pound remote-controlled robot snowplow, available for $7,900 from superdroidrobots.com. I like my robot vacuum cleaner, but I have my doubts that I'll be buying a robot snowplow!


Video 1. An avalanche sweeps down a mountainside in the South Tyrol region of the Alps on February 6, 2014. Thomas Ennemoser, a farmer from Orsteil Pill, filmed from a safe distance on a hill. The avalanche damaged several buildings, and 15 people were forced to evacuate.

Jeff Masters