A dangerous ice storm is developing due to the clash of cold and warm temperatures

(CNN) — As the second storm of the week sweeps across the United States, the temperature shock will cause dangerous winter weather across the country, and the ice will give cause for concern.

It might seem like déjà vu in regards to the storm that dropped a winter mix and heavy rain on the United States earlier this week. And in many ways, it is.

However, the new storm will bring with it more significant amounts of ice. Ice dams associated with the storm pose a major threat to travel and infrastructure in areas from the central United States to the Northeast.

“Significant ice accumulations greater than 0.6 cm are likely from the Red River Valley of Texas to the Ozarks and southeastern Missouri. Locally, damaging 1.2 cm ice cover is possible. cm or more, which could lead to scattered power outages, tree damage and dangerous travel,” tweeted the Weather Prediction Center (WPC).

The south-central United States is being targeted for ice buildup, with up to 2 centimeters of ice expected across areas of northeastern Arkansas on Thursday, creating dangerous conditions.

“Travel could be next to impossible,” warned the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Little Rock.

It may not look like it today, but the Northeast isn’t out of the woods either, as a similar mix of wintry conditions heads their way this Friday.

As the system moves across the Great Lakes region overnight Thursday and into southern New England early Friday, expect heavy snow and lots of ice.

South-central Pennsylvania and western Maryland could see ice accumulations of up to 0.6 centimeters. Even if they are more accustomed to winter weather, “widespread hazardous travel and damage to electrical infrastructure is expected,” the WPC warned.

Six inches of snow or more is expected across much of the Northeast and southern New England, with parts of Massachusetts likely to see nearly a foot of snow. Boston is expected to get about 9 inches of snow by the end of the week.

New York City could get about 2 inches of snow on Thursday night, transitioning to mixed wintry conditions and finally rain on Friday.

The low-pressure system that is churning ice from Texas to New York will also dump meters of snow on the Rocky Mountains on Wednesday, causing avalanche concern. Some areas at higher elevations could get up to 4 feet of snow from the storm. Large amounts of snow at higher elevations in Colorado led to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center to issue avalanche warnings from Wednesday through Thursday morning.

“Very dangerous avalanche conditions exist in the field. Heavy snow and high winds will give rise to natural avalanches,” the Center said.

Strong winds will also make it feel even colder.

Temperatures across much of the Rocky Mountains, Plains and Mississippi Valley are dropping sharply, 11 to 22 degrees below average, according to the WPC. The low temperatures aim to equal or exceed previous records for daily cold temperatures.

More than 10 million people are currently under wind chill watches and warnings across 14 states. Plains areas are experiencing life-threatening conditions, with wind chill ranging from -34°C to -45.5°C.

“Dangerous wind chill could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes,” the NWS in Bismark, ND said.

However, temperatures on the East Coast tell a different story.

“By contrast, temperatures will be 5.5°C to 11°C above average across most of the East Coast, with several locations setting or tying high temperature records Wednesday through Thursday for the morning,” said the WPC.

An extreme temperature difference creates the perfect environment for ice storms.

“When warm, moist air and cold air try to occupy the same terrain, ice storms occur. The frigid air from the Arctic is much heavier than the warm, buoyant air that comes from the south. That warm air moves on the cold air like packages moving up a conveyor belt. Clouds make it rain, but it freezes when it falls or hits the ground below freezing,” said Chad Myers, a CNN meteorologist.

On the southern side of the storm, warmer surface temperatures will bring heavy rains to the lower Mississippi and Tennessee valleys, risking localized flooding.

Heavy rainfall of 5 to 7 centimeters is expected on Thursday morning, moving east into the Ohio Valley throughout the day. Cities, roads and streams are at the highest risk of flash flooding, according to the WPC.

The system is expected to move away from the coast early on Saturday, ending a packed week of weather reports for the US, but leaving bitter cold in the air across the country.