The storm tracks that shape winter weather across the United States normallybecome established during the month of December.Many big early winter storms track out of the southern Plains and into theMississippi Valley and Great Lakes. In cold air north and west of the stormpath, these storms often lay down swaths of heavy snow over the Plains andMidwest.
When cold overwhelms the midsection, the storms may be shifted well south andeast. Cutting through the Southeast, such storms can spin up to formnor'easters along the Atlantic Seaboard.
On the other hand, storms influenced by Western warmth and Eastern cold oftenwhisk south and east from central Canada to the Great Lakes and Northeast as"Alberta Clippers." These storms can become New England nor'easters were theyto deepen explosively near the coast.
In the West, Pacific storms tend to favor a northerly track that may scootwestward over the northern Rockies, or it may veer southeast to the FourCorners.
Story by AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist Jim Andrews
