Ice, Snow, Rain Hit East Again

[CaptinCrunch]

Ice, Snow, Rain Hit East Again
8:30AM EST, February 6, 2004

Friday dawns in the eastern U.S. with
many commuters facing a long ride to
work. A storm system heading into the
Great Lakes has spread thunderstorms,
heavy rain, freezing rain, sleet and
snow across much of the eastern third
of the nation.

Early Friday, snow was falling in parts
of New England, while a mix of sleet
and freezing rain was icing over the
Mid-Atlantic. Further west, snow fell
through the Upper Mississippi Valley
and was continuing to fall across the
Great Lakes region.

Weather was forcing many school
systems in the Mid-Atlantic to close or
delay opening due to the extensive
coverage of the accumulated snow and
ice. Ice accumulations were as high as
one half inch in some areas.

To make matters worse, heavy rain
would become a major problem later
today as the storm system pushes
towards the East Coast. Over on inch of
rain had fallen since midnight in the
Appalachians.

This rain was falling on an extensive
snow pack that would also contribute to
run-off. Extensive ice on rivers could
create a big problem for rivers to handle
the rising waters.

In the southeast, along the Gulf Coast
states, heavy thunderstorms were
causing problems. Heavy storms have
dumped one to two inches of rain since
midnight and the same storms threaten
potential severe weather the remainder
of the day.