US weather: Snow to cover parts of the country while tornadoes and thunderstorms also a threat

Stargazers hoping to glimpse a rare solar eclipse are warned their view will be threatened by a blitz of explosive thunderstorms.

A total solar eclipse next Monday will see the moon briefly sweep in front of the sun turning day into night.

However, viewers hoping for a magical celestial experience will face a barrage of severe storms currently sweeping America.

The eruption has sparked a raft of National Weather Service (NOAA) extreme weather advisories, with parts of the country this week braced for two feet of snow.

Intense storms threaten to sustain their assault as they sweep eastwards through the weekend and into next week.

AccuWeather.com long-range forecaster Paul Pastelok said: “Storms will impact travel, as well as those camping outdoors in the days leading up to the eclipse.

“Strong storms are possible from the central Plains to north Texas, and torrential downpours and even tornadoes are a threat.

“Businesses, event planners, and travellers need to prepare for weather disruptions and cloud cover from Texas to Ohio during the total solar eclipse on Monday.”

The US has been ravaged since the start of the week by storms and unseasonable spring snowfall.

Cold air to the north of the country hitting a tropical plume from the Gulf of Mexico has helped build dangerously unstable atmospheric conditions.

A raft of weather warnings for tornadoes, up to 50mph winds, rain, hail and thunder are in place through this week.

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From the weekend, a conveyor belt of storms will plough across the States, triggering power outages and travel chaos.

A storm will move from the Southern Rockies to the Central Plains and Midwest at the weekend, according to AccuWeather.

A second storm will hit at the start of the week as millions of people head out to see the eclipse.

Mr Pastelok said: “As the storm moves toward the Plains, showers and thunderstorms will develop and extend southward to Texas.

“People traveling through this region after the eclipse could be impacted by downpours, flooded roadways, and the possibility of severe thunderstorms.”

While many face having plans ruined by the weather, there will be some decent viewing spots along the path of totality–the stretch of land where the moon passes directly in front of the sun, giving the best view.

Accuweather meteorologist Joe Lundberg said: “The best places to be for observing the eclipse will be from Southern Illinois and Kentucky, eastward to the East Coast and up into New York state and New England.

“The area from West Texas to southern Arizona should also have favourable viewing conditions.”

Parts of the US are currently in the grip of a devastating winter blizzard which threatens to dump up to two feet of snow by the end of the week.

New York and New England are in the firing line ahead of the weekend when severe weather threatens power outages and travel disruption.

The NOAA has issued winter storm warnings across New England, Wisconsin and Illinois, and wind advisories widely across eastern states.

A spokesman said: “A deep storm over the Great Lakes will move southeastward to the Mid-Atlantic Coast by Thursday evening and north-eastward to the Gulf of Maine by Friday.

“The system will produce a late-season winter storm across portions of the Great Lakes and the Northeast from Wednesday into Friday.”

Monday’s solar eclipse will happen six years, seven months and 18 days since the last one in August 2017, with the next due in 2044.