Eastern U.S. braces for snow, icy rain

INDIANAPOLIS, March 24 (UPI) -- A storm moving out of the Rockies and the Plains bore down on the eastern United States Sunday, threatening snow and rain to begin the week, forecasters said.

A line of thunderstorms swept across Florida and snow that had blanketed the Rocky Mountains made its way into the Midwest, AccuWeather.com said.

The storm was expected to bring chilly, wet weather to the mid-Atlantic region Monday, with heavy snow forecast for part of the Appalachians and the East Coast -- and coastal flooding possible Monday from New Jersey to Cape Cod, Mass.

Much of the mid-Atlantic can expect snow and ice Sunday night and difficult road conditions for the Monday morning commute, AccuWeather said. With milder temperatures in the forecast, snow along the I-95 corridor is likely to turn to rain, or melt as it hits the ground Monday.

The I-81 and I-70 corridors west of I-95 -- including Pittsburgh and Hazleton, Pa., Winchester, Va. and Clarksburg, W.Va. -- are likely to get heavier snow, and 6-to-12 inches of snow could fall from the West Virginia mountains to south-central Pennsylvania.

The same storm produced several inches of snow Saturday in the Plains and the Denver area during the weekend.

Stretches of Interstates 25 and 70 in Colorado were closed Saturday due to whiteout conditions and a surge in traffic accidents. Hundreds of flights were delayed in Denver.

Dangerous thunderstorms rolled through Texas and into Dixie Saturday night. AccuWeather said the system produced hail overnight and warned spring breakers in Florida to beware of potentially severe weather disrupting Palm Sunday plans.