The first snow storm alerts of the season arrive in the United States, reaching
2 million people
in the northern plains and upper Midwest region of the country.
In particular, there are advisories for some parts of northeastern
South Dakota and far western Minnesota
.
The region usually has winter storms, but they are not common in November so this year they have been advanced.
The last time there was a storm watch for South Dakota this month was in 2016, and before that, in 2008, according to counts by NBC News, sister network to Noticias Telemundo.
These types of high intensity storms at this time of year have earned the nickname of the
November Witches
.
This is how the Canadian Gordon Lightfoot named them in one of his songs after the storm that sank a freighter in Lake Superior in 1975, killing the entire crew.
[Mysterious mangroves in Mexico give clues about what the sea level will be in the future]
The storm system comes just 20 days after an unprecedented moisture front triggered a rainy October in central and northern California, ending a record dry season.
Caution when driving between Thursday and Friday
In the remainder of Thursday, the rain is expected to turn into snow in the region.
Initially, ground temperatures will be too warm for snow to cling, but it can eventually start to accumulate.
Up
to 8 inches of snow is expected in North Dakota and Minnesota
.
There are also alerts for high winds, with gusts of up to 50 miles per hour on Thursday night, for 11 million people.
Hispanic studies correlation between forest fires and past rain
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Snow combined with gusts of wind will cause poor visibility and dangerous road riding conditions
.
"From Thursday afternoon to Friday morning there will be temperatures cold enough that road trips become slippery and dangerous," says the Weather Service.
[A meteorite passes through the roof of a house and falls on the bed of a sleeping woman, brushing her head on the pillow]
For Friday, the storm is forecast to head east, bringing strong winds and heavy rains to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast region, including
the urban corridor from Washington DC to Boston
.
Travel will be difficult along I-95 especially during the morning and the first half of the day.
These are the times when the heaviest rainfall is expected to fall on Friday:
Washington DC: 4:00 am - 9:00 am
New York: 5:00 am to noon
Boston: noon to 4:00 pm
After the rain, the cold temperatures
The storm system is moving rapidly so the rain is forecast to stop on the East Coast on Friday afternoon or early evening.
Between 1 and 2 inches can be accumulated from the rain with the snow additive, and in some places with larger amounts.
A satellite image of the weather in the United States on November 11, 2021.NOAA
And as is often the case in these powerful fall storm systems, after the weather clears, the mostly pleasant temperatures that the East Coast had this week end.
And a cold November arrives.
[Winter will be colder and the heating bill will skyrocket, especially for those who use natural gas]
In Minnesota and the Dakotas there may be another round of lighter snow on Saturday afternoon through Sunday morning.
To the east, over the Great Lakes, scattered snow showers are possible throughout the weekend.
With information from
The Washington Post
and
NBC News
.
