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Lousy Weather Could Mean Trouble For Travelers

By JIM SALTER
Associated Press

ST. LOUIS (AP) - A stew of foul weather, ranging from freezing rain and snow in the Midwest to thunderstorms and possible tornadoes in the South, is arriving just in time for one of the busiest travel weekends of the year.

Much of the nation is bracing for something: Freezing rain, then 6 inches of snow, is possible in the northern Plains; torrential rains are expected in the Appalachian region; weekend thunderstorms in the South could spawn twisters.

It's all moving into the East, too, creating travel worries in the days leading up to Christmas from Chicago and Detroit to Boston and New York.

AAA projects that nearly 95 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more during the holiday period, which runs from Saturday through Jan. 1.

The winter storm will mark an abrupt change for many. Temperatures were in the 60s in parts of the Midwest on Thursday. By Friday morning, freezing rain was closing schools and creating travel problems in Michigan and Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation said Interstate 90/94 was ice-covered from Tomah and Mauston. The state was bracing for significant snow, sleet and ice.

The National Weather Service issued a flood watch for eastern Missouri, including St. Louis, with up to 4 inches of rain projected. With falling temperatures, some of that could be freezing rain by Saturday night, weather service meteorologist Jon Carney said.

"It's definitely a concern that there could be flooding," Carney said.

AccuWeather forecasters said thunderstorms will develop in the South thanks to a surge of warm, humid air. The region most at peril is from central and northeastern Texas through Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas and southeast Missouri.

AccuWeather said wind gusts could reach 80 mph, and flash flooding is possible.

By Sunday night, the storm systems will be hammering the East Coast. AccuWeather said some New England and mid-Atlantic states could see rare winter thunderstorms.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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MORE: Icy Roads Force More Than 100 Schools To Close, Snarl Morning Commute

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