A deadly storm system packing tornadoes that left a trail of destruction across the Deep South is threatening more severe weather on Tuesday, as a swath of wintry weather makes travel dangerous in the Northeast.
The National Weather Service said the multi-faceted winter storm will sweep east, bringing wintry precipitation from the central Appalachians into New England. Severe thunderstorms also are expected to push through parts of Alabama, Georgia, and Florida.
"Severe weather is going to be a threat today, throughout the afternoon, and then we have the cold side of the storm where we have snow, freezing rain, and rain depending on where you live," Fox News Senior Meteorologist Janice Dean said on "Fox & Friends."
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On Monday, there were two dozen reports of tornadoes across portions of the Gulf Coast and Southeast, said Dean, and there were two tornado-warned storms early Tuesday.
Storm reports, suspected tornadoes on Monday across the Southeast. (Fox News)
Authorities in the Southeast said three people were killed as the twisters smashed into buildings and downed streetlights in Louisiana and Alabama.
One person was killed in a suspected tornado strike on a Louisiana home, and two others died after another storm hit in a community about 55 miles west of Huntsville, Ala.
This photo provided by Heather Welch show a tornado in Rosepine, La., Monday, Dec. 16, 2019. (Heather Welch via AP)
“The cat flew,” Tonia Tyler of Pineville, Louisiana, told the Associated Press. “It picked the cat up, and the cat flew — my cat — it flew across the yard. And I knew right there, I said, ‘Oh God, we're not going to make it'."
Cory Simpson of Decatur Fire & Rescue assess damage before evacuating a mobile home after a tree fell on the home in Decatur, Ala., on Dec. 16, 2019. (Dan Busey/The Decatur Daily via AP)
The storms prompted numerous tornado watches and warnings Monday. Some cities opened shelters as a cold front collided with warmer air over northern Gulf Coast states and temperatures were expected to plunge.
Powerful storms smashed buildings, splintered trees and downed power lines Monday around the Deep South. (Dan Busey/The Decatur Daily via AP)
In Mississippi, around a dozen people were injured in apparent tornadoes throughout the state. Officials have not determined how many homes were destroyed or seriously damaged because they couldn't reach areas affected due to downed trees and power lines.
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As the severe threat continues in the South, an icy concern exists further north where wintry precipitation already has caused dozens of accidents Tuesday morning.
Forecast precipitation from the storm system through Thursday. (Fox News)
Much of interior New England is expecting snow, but freezing rain is the primary threat closer to the coast and in the suburbs of some of the major cities such as New York, Hartford and Boston.
"It is going to be a very treacherous, if not impossible, way to travel if you are in freezing rain this morning," Dean said on "Fox & Friends."
A mix of sleet, rain, snow, and freezing rain is impacting the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast on Tuesday. (Fox News)
Dean warned that ice is going to pile up on roadways, power lines, and especially bridges. "If you don't have to travel, don't travel in freezing rain," she said.
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For areas that see significant icing, don't expect a thaw in the near future.
The NWS advises that behind the storm, an arctic blast from central Canada is forecast to spread into the Plains and New England over the next couple of days.
"Sub-zero temperatures are forecast for the upper Midwest Wednesday morning; single digits by Thursday morning for northern New England," according to forecasters. "These temperatures are 15 to 25 degrees below average."
The arctic air also will trigger lake-effect snows, with locally heavy amounts expected in some snow squalls.
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