A potentially powerful storm with driving rain and increasing snow is brewing for a portion of the eastern United States midway this week, AccuWeather meteorologists warn. The storm is expected to bring a mix of heavy rainfall, which could lead to hazardous travel conditions in affected regions.

A storm will spread snow across the interior west mountains this weekend into early this week. Enough snow may fall that there may be travel delays around Denver on Monday. The storm will play a role in the weather in the central and eastern states just a day or two later.

The storm over the West will then break in two as it moves east of the Rocky Mountains. A storm is likely to be very weak and somewhat lacking in moisture Monday night into Tuesday, but may bring a dose of rain over portions of the lower Mississippi and Ohio valleys following the rain Sunday night into Monday.

There is also a chance of a mix of snow and rain from the same storm over the central Plains to the Great Lakes on Tuesday.

The remaining portion of the storm will regroup near the central Gulf Coast and become stronger than the first portion. This second storm should then reach the east coast around midweek.

“This storm could bring torrential rain to portions of the Atlantic coast on Wednesday and Wednesday night,” said Joe Lundberg, AccuWeather senior long-range meteorologist.

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Rain may fall so much that puddles form on some roads and visibility is reduced, particularly where patches of fog and heavy traffic cause spray.

“A strong blast of cold air will not accompany or follow this storm, but just enough cold air to bring some wet snow to part of the region,” Lundberg said.

The rain could turn into a period of snow accumulation over much of the Appalachians from North Carolina and Tennessee to northern New England and possibly the eastern portions of the Tennessee and Ohio valleys and lower elevations around the eastern Great Lakes.

In the snowiest places, the snow depth may only be a few inches, but even a coating on the roads can create dangerous conditions.

The snow and cold in the Appalachian Mountains will follow a few days of wet, rainy and foggy conditions, in some cases Monday through Tuesday.

There are still a few options for how the storm develops on Wednesday. Should the storm intensify quickly, significant snowfall could occur further north and west, encompassing the zone from the Ohio Valley to the eastern Great Lakes and northern New England. If the storm is weak or moisture drains too quickly, it could be difficult to bring much snow at all, even over the Appalachians, and instead of heavy rain along the I-95 zone, there could be just a few showers before dry ones Air flows in.

Immediately following the storm, a very brief and likely minor lake-effect snow event will occur around the eastern Great Lakes on Thursday.

The middle of the month features mild conditions and will feel significantly warmer for millions of people in the central and eastern states due to recent waves of arctic air.

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