This Week's Weather Will Be Wild Across US

If you have travel plans anywhere in the US this week, prepare for chaos. The National Weather Service issued a blanket warning on Monday: "A massive winter storm is expected to impact much of the US this week with a variety of hazards." As in, blizzards, sleet, freezing rain, dangerous winds, thunderstorms, and, weirdly, both record high and record low temperatures.

• Starting in the West: The storm already is underway in the Northwest, and it's expected to move east into the central US through Tuesday and Wednesday. The Washington Post reports that 17 million people in the West are under some kind of weather alert.
• The progression: For details (including maps) on how the storm is expected to play out, see Weather.com, which has day-by-day forecasts. By Thursday, for example, the storm will have dumped lots of snow and ice on the Northeast, though New York City may avoid the brunt of it. Upstate New York and into Vermont, however, might get 6 inches or so.

• Midwest blizzards: The Midwest in particular is likely to get hit with blizzards on Wednesday night into Thursday. The Twin Cities in Minneapolis, for example, could get up to 18 inches of snow. Chicago and the Ohio Valley are likely in for an icy Thursday.
• Wild swings: While parts of the US (generally the Northwest) might see record-low temperatures, other areas (generally the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions) can expect record highs, reports CNN. It's expected to be about 80 on Thursday in Washington, DC, for example. The Post describes this as a "meteorological battleground" that will have the clashing air masses "brewing serious trouble."

(More winter weather stories.)