Thank you very much for the update. let s get more on the forecast from jennifer gray. the national weather service also warning of thundersnow. tell us about that. yes. so we are going to potentially see thundersnow. sometimes when the snowfall rates get so high, you ll hear thunder. there will be lightning just like we get in a very strong thunderstorm when the rains are very, very heavy, but basically the winds are going to steer where this snow is going to go because lake-effect snow is caused by the warmer, wider temperature, and the difference between the colder air above it. when those cold winds flow over the lake, it generates the clouds and the snow falls on the clouds, and it s coming from that direction. the snow will continue to fall and wind will steer it into buffalo by the time we get into student and that s when it s really going to intensify. we re going to look at anywhere from say like polo was saying, we could see 2 to 4 feet in buffalo and the latest national
Country be worried about other inclement weather in the days ahead? there s been a recent trend, jonathan to actually close preemptively these highways when we re going to have blizzard conditions or snowfall rates, so my criticism of the virginia department of transportation is they could have closed i-95. we knew 12 hours in advance we were going to get intense snowfall rates. yes, they did tell everyone to stay off the roads so there is some blame on the drivers for not paying attention to the forecast. but like they ve been doing in other states, they could also have closed the highways to avoid this situation. definitely a little blame going around. let s get on with what s happening now. the sun is out, the roads cleared up but this morning, temperatures are back down around freezing. so we have melting snow and ice. there s another freezing rain and drizzle that s going to cause problems this morning. it s very light. not a lot of it, right now
Activated its winter weather plan. the storm already hammering parts of virginia, tennessee and kentucky. look at that, a 20-car pile up on the western kentucky parkway left motorists stranded for hours. derek van dam is live in the cnn weather center. derek, good morning. just how much snow should we expect? well, laura, we ve been watching the snow accumulate in new york city. this is times square over the past couple of hours. they have been seeing anywhere from 1 to 2 inches of hour. this narrow band of snowfall that s lined up across portions of the five bro boroughs of new york city. as quickly as it entered it is going to exit through the course of the day. look at the snow already coming to an end near washington, d.c. and baltimore. the backside of the system already moving through. but still hefty snowfall the next one to two hours in the new jersey coast line, the marvel peninsula. the big apple, this is where we have our snowfall rates from 1 to 2 inches per hour. that
the snowfall rates were 2 to 3 and even 4 inches per-mile-per-hour. reporter: all of it coupled with several inches of ice kept tow trucks from being able to move the multiple jackknifed big rigs blocking traffic. andrew stein spent 27 hours in his car, sleeping in it overnight. abandoned cars everywhere. people either ran out of gas or got stuck in the snow. reporter: he, like many others, forced to decide between saving gas and staying warm. for those able to leave their cars, many gas stations were out of fuel or without power. as cars slowly started to clear the interstate late tuesday, local roads became overwhelmed with traffic. vonya and her two young children in the car. she feared the worst as the temperatures fell, even asking first responders passing by for help. i was begging, can you take my kids?
To be rain and heavy rain during the morning commute tomorrow. i realize not everybody has to work tomorrow for the holiday but those of you that do give yourself some extra time tomorrow. interior new england, lots of snow, maybe a little bit of a mix at some point, but those snowfall rates are going to accumulate pretty quickly as we go through the day on monday, especially with some of the wrap around bands. down to the south because you have so much warm air in place, places like atlanta, huntsville, you re likely going to get just about 1 to 2 inches. the heaviest snow will be between nashville and charlotte, but it s the ice, boris and christi, the biggest concern. when you have it this high, not only does it cause dangerous roadways but widespread power outages as well. and more time to be able to get back on the road because i ve seen people meteorologists warning of dangerous to impossible travel, impossible travel, alison. how many days do you think based on temperatures?