Wintry storm to sweep southern US early next week

 By Courtney Spamer, AccuWeather meteorologist

Updated Dec. 5, 2020 3:36 PM

Rain, and even some snow, is likely across the southern Appalachians to the Gulf Coast, leaving a wintry feel for the first full week of December.

Winter weather in the form of snow targeted New England at the start of the weekend, creating a change in the weather pattern that could bring wintry conditions much farther south. This northerly storm will move out in time for another storm to form in Tennessee and Alabama by late on Sunday.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP

"This new storm will not have nearly as much moisture to work with. But, it will be an energetic system that will take a southern track and tap into cold air higher up in the atmosphere, which should be enough to produce some snow across the Southeast," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dave Samuhel.

Spotty snow and a wintry mix are expected to break out later Sunday and Sunday night over part of the Tennessee Valley to the southern Appalachians and spread eastward from there on Monday. While a few flakes might fly as far south as South Carolina, most accumulations will remain in the higher elevations from West Virginia to Tennessee and North Carolina.

"The Smoky mountains are expected to see 1-3 inches of snow, with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 6 inches possible in the highest elevations," added Samuhel.

A coating to an inch of snow is forecast to expand from the nearby foothills of Tennessee and North Carolina up will reach up into the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and the nearby mountains in West Virginia.

This much snow will be capable of producing slippery conditions Sunday night and Monday, especially along portions of Interstate 40 and Interstate 26 through more mountainous terrain. Heavier bursts of snow in the mountains may briefly lower visibility at times. Motorists traveling through the southern Appalachians will face the risk of delays.

Farther south, however, much of the storm will come in the form of rain.

Rain will begin in the afternoon on Sunday across southeastern Louisiana as well as parts of Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle. Through Sunday night and Monday, the rain will shift to the east, encompassing the rest of Florida to the North Carolina Piedmont.

The heaviest rain is likely to fall across the central and southern parts of the Florida Peninsula, where more than an inch of rain is possible for cities like Orlando, Tampa and Miami.

While the air ahead of the storm will be too warm to allow for snow, cooler air is forecast to follow the storm.

RELATED:

Nor'easter to unleash 1st blizzard of season in New EnglandThe best food to eat to stay warm and healthy this winterDaily coronavirus briefing: 102-year-old woman beats COVID-19 twice

In the wake of the storm, temperatures are forecast to tumble late Monday and through Monday night. Low temperatures below freezing are forecast for Knoxville, Tennessee, and Charlotte, North Carolina, with temperatures expected the middle 30s in northern Florida.

Air this chilly will not only have residents reaching for their heavier coat for the second time this month, but could also lead to some slick spots on roadways.

"Depending on whether or not a drying wind kicks in following the storm, untreated wet roads and sidewalks may quickly freeze up Monday evening, even if the area only experienced rain the day before," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson warned.

Westerly winds should steer the storm out to sea before it is expected to turn northward Monday night into Tuesday. If these winds don't kick in as currently forecast, then there will be a chance that the storm could move northward along the mid-Atlantic and New England coast and lead to a period of snow from Philadelphia to New York City and Boston.

Both high and low temperatures for the southeastern U.S. are expected to rebound back closer to normal by the end of next week.

This storm is expected to occur about a week after a storm that brought heavy snow to parts of the Midwest and Great Lakes also sent snow as far to the south as northern Georgia, and deposited a few inches of snow on the southern Appalachians.

Close to 50,000 customers woke up on Dec. 1, without power in northeastern Ohio from an extreme snowfall event that buried some towns in 2 feet of snow.

Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.