At least 8 million people remain under flood watches in swaths of the Northwest as 31 million people are under strong wind alerts across more than half thecountry.

Winter weather-related alerts from the National Weather Service (NWS) span numerous U.S. states as of early Monday, with up to 22 inches of snow forecast for some parts of the country.

Approximately 63 million Americans are under a cold weather advisory, and around 11 million are under a freeze warning — mainly in the Gulf States where such low temperatures are rare.

High amounts of rain are expected for L.A., with 2 to 4 inches on the coast. 'Be prepared for at least some rain around Christmas,' the weather service said.

Michigan is forecast to see a flash freeze tonight, Dec. 18, into Friday, Dec. 19. See where rain and snow moves ahead of the freezing temperatures.

Currently, the minimum snow level for the weekend, according to the National Weather Service, is 2,000 feet, well above even the highest point in Portland. The “main” snow level is 3,500 to 4,500 feet. The model or models serving the phone weather app could have a lower minimum over the weekend.

Some of the highest totals were on Long Island and in New Jersey, where greater than 6 inches of snow was measured.

Because of this forecast, the National Weather Service has issued Winter Weather Advisories covering 25 counties in Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. These largely cover counties from Mason and Lake northward to the Mackinac Bridge, and along the Lake Superior shoreline of the Upper Peninsula.

Allegretto said having a slow start to the winter is not completely out of the ordinary. He estimates it happens roughly once every four years. The last time he remembers a similar early season was in 2023-2024, which saw only 25% of the typical snowpack by January.