Snowstorm Map Shows States Being Hit Hardest

Another winter storm system is set to wallop the U.S. this weekend, and a new map from the National Weather Service (NWS) shows which states will be hit hardest by the frigid temperatures and snow.

An arctic blast plunged most of the United States into dangerously cold territory last weekend and early this week. Americans are preparing for another arctic blast that will hit the U.S. this weekend in the wake of a snowstorm that is currently slamming the Northeast.

On Wednesday, the NWS Weather Prediction Center shared a map on X (formerly Twitter) that shows which states can expect the most snow.

"A quick hitting winter storm will produce periods of snow from the Lower Great Lakes to the Mid-Atlantic late week," the post said. "In its wake, another surge of bitterly cold temperatures & wind chills will race south through the nation's Heartland & as far south as the Gulf Coast this weekend."

NWS Weather Prediction Center meteorologist Brian Hurley told Newsweek that the storm is dumping several inches of snow in Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Snow accumulation is forecast to range between 2 and 4 inches for most of those areas, with local totals reaching up to 6 inches, Hurley said. Heavier snowfall is forecast for areas such as Buffalo, New York, that receive lake-effect snow.

The bulk of the snow in the Northeast will wrap up by Friday night, and frigid temperatures will arrive in the storm's wake. Another NWS Weather Prediction Center map shows the storm's progression across the country through Sunday.

"Another arctic air outbreak is forecast across much of the central and eastern U.S. through this weekend. This event will not be as frigid as the last outbreak, however, temperatures and wind chills will still be hazardous across a large part of the nation," the NWS said on X.

Hurley told Newsweek that temperatures could dip as low as 30 degrees below normal in the central Plains states, but temperatures will climb in the Northeast by midweek.

However, many Americans will have to endure dangerously cold windchills before temperatures rise. Forecasts predict that temperatures could feel as cold as 20 degrees below zero in Tennessee, 25 degrees below zero in Missouri and 45 degrees below zero in Montana.

Snow also will accumulate in parts of the Pacific Northwest during the storm's trek. Up to 36 inches is forecast for higher elevations in central California through Sunday afternoon, according to the NWS.

Most of the Pacific Northwest will face the threat of snow through Friday.

"The Pacific Northwest continues to contend with rounds of heavy mountain snow & significant ice accumulations that will persist through Friday," the NWS Weather Prediction Center posted on X.

The storm systems that moved through the nation last weekend covered nearly 60 percent of the U.S. in snow at one time. Even areas that typically don't see much snow received substantial amounts, such as when 7.6 inches fell in Nashville, Tennessee. The storms also caused several inches of lake-effect snow in Texas.