Extreme Weather Alerts Cover US Map Today

Winter storms are set to rage across the U.S. on Tuesday, bringing fierce thunderstorms, floods, damaging winds, and snow blizzards set to cause misery for millions.

The grim conditions will kick in as multiple storms will cross the Lower 48 today and throughout the week, forecasters said. Travel is set to be severely affected, with flyers out of Chicago, Illinois, warned to expect delays and cancellations at O'Hare and Midway international airports due to the snowy conditions.

The forecast, just days into the new year, comes after 2023 saw a string of extreme weather events across the U.S. Homes in Chicago were flooded, cars submerged, and riverbanks burst after torrential rain battered the city in July, just weeks after parts of Illinois were hit with water restrictions as the result of a drought. Meanwhile, Texas and other states were left suffering from extreme heat, and snowstorms buffeted much of the country as winter set in.

Experts said that climate change is set to make extreme weather patterns worse, with a series of researchers and scientists telling Newsweek their dire predictions for the future. Many added that more thunderstorms and floods are likely, along with tornadoes, hurricanes and droughts.

Today's forecast makes for grim reading, too. The National Weather Service (NWS), a government agency, said that a "major storm system will hammer the Eastern U.S. with widespread heavy rain, strong winds, and severe thunderstorms on Tuesday into early Wednesday."

And the rest of the country won't escape the bad weather, either. Drilling down into the agency's specific warnings shows that 23 counties in Georgia have a tornado watch in place until 2 p.m., a hard freeze warning is in place across much of the Eastern U.S., while blizzard warnings predict up to 4 feet of snow accumulation in some parts, such as in the cities of Stevens Pass, Holden Village, and Stehekin in the state of Washington.

The Western U.S. can expect to see a continuation of the unsettled weather, with temperatures set to plunge as colder conditions move in. Experts say a "strong Pacific front moving inland with very heavy snow" will hit the Cascades and then the Northern Rockies. By Wednesday night, mountain snow is predicted across Arizona and New Mexico, while a bitter Arctic front is predicted to drop down from Canada on Wednesday. This will herald the arrival of the coldest temperatures so far this season for the Northern Plains; Montana and North Dakota can expect sub-zero lows.

And things are not looking much better for the Central U.S. either, the NWS agency added, as a "very potent mid-upper level trough" is likely to result in a "surface low over Michigan by late Tuesday evening/night." Such conditions will result in a strong cold front, meaning residents should brace for freezing temperatures.

However, forecasters say it's the East of the country that will see the worst of the conditions on Tuesday.

"Widespread hazardous weather impacts are expected for the eastern third of the U.S. in association with this low pressure system, and numerous warnings and advisories are now in effect from the local NWS forecast offices," the agency said. "One of the big things making weather headlines will be the widespread expanse of heavy rain capable of producing flooding from the Florida Panhandle all the way north to southern Maine.

"There is a Moderate Risk of excessive rainfall now highlighted by the Weather Prediction Center for the Tuesday-Tuesday night time period from northern Virginia to southern New England, where the combination of 1 to 3 inch rainfall totals over highly saturated," the NWS added, "and in some cases, snow-covered ground, along with swollen creeks and streams, will elevate the potential for flooding across this region."

Winds of up to 50 mph may be seen at surface-level, particularly by the coast and in elevated areas, so there may be wind warnings in place, too, along with the risk of coastal flooding.

It is hoped that conditions should slowly improve from Wednesday, and although more bad weather is forecast, it is likely to be a "weaker low pressure system... [that] will not have much moisture to work with, so mainly light snow is expected with that event."

Americans should check the NWS website to find out the forecast in their local areas, and commuters and other travelers should check for possible road closures, or train and plane cancellations.