Maybe you were hoping this El Niño winter would be mild with fewer ice scrapers and snow shovels in 2024.
If so, the events of the past few days and the weekend forecast are sure to be disappointing.
Much of the country is bracing for a very cold — and potentially dangerous — three-day weekend, forecasters say, as a powerful winter storm is set to bring heavy snow from the Great Lakes to the Northeast, with another system blanketing an area of the Cascades through the mountains. Rocky Central.
Snowfall totals in parts of Wisconsin exceeded 10 inches on Friday, forcing the closure of schools and businesses. Friday also marked the death of a Milwaukee man who became unresponsive after snow fell on his driveway, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported.
This weekend's cold weather coincides with several NFL playoff games, and Saturday's game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins could set records as one of the coldest NFL playoff games in history. When the Buffalo Bills face the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, wind speeds could reach 50 mph, according to AccuWeather meteorologists, which would be one of the highest wind speeds ever recorded for an NFL game.
What is a polar vortex? An in-depth look at how this will affect winter weather in the US next week
Developments:
∎ Blizzard warnings went into effect Saturday for the Dakotas, northwestern Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula, according to the weather service.
∎ Roads across eastern Nebraska, northern Illinois and much of Wisconsin were “completely” covered in snow, ice or ice Saturday morning, according to a regional map of road conditions from the Iowa Department of Transportation. The Iowa State Patrol has issued a “Life-Threatening Winter Weather Advisory” asking people to stop non-essential travel overnight.
∎ About 500,000 households were without power as of 9 a.m. Saturday, according to a tracking tool maintained by USA TODAY. Michigan had the most widespread power outages, affecting nearly 185,000 customers. More than 90,000 customers were without power in Wisconsin on Saturday morning, with the outages centered around Milwaukee. To the east, tens of thousands in Vermont and New Hampshire were also affected by widespread power outages.
∎ Parts of Utah and Wyoming are expected to see “massive snowfall” over the weekend, National Weather Service in Salt Lake City Announce. The area is under winter storm warnings, with northern Utah and southwestern Wyoming bracing for up to four feet of snow.
Winter storm forecast for Saturday
The winter storm that sparked blizzard warnings in the Great Lakes and upper Midwest on Friday is expected to move northeast on Saturday, with snowfall rates of up to 2 inches per hour possible as the system moves out of the region.
Meteorologists warned that travel could be dangerous, especially with strong winds creating blizzard conditions, and power outages are also possible.
The Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region will also see heavy rain through Saturday, making coastal and river flooding possible, according to the National Weather Service.
Snow production from the storm is expected to taper off Saturday, but lakeshore snow is expected to remain in the area through midweek, the weather service said, with snow conditions possible.
The Meteorological Service warned on Saturday that parts of the south could also experience wintry rain by Sunday. Snow, sleet and freezing rain are likely in parts of eastern Oklahoma, northeastern Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and most of Tennessee, the weather service said.
Brutal cold air is coming early next week
After this weekend's storm, arctic air will descend from western Canada and spread across the northwest and northern Plains early next week. The weather service is forecasting multiple cold temperatures.
Subzero wind temperatures are expected to drop below minus 30 degrees from the northern Rockies, northern Kansas and into Iowa. Montana and West Dakota can see temperatures as low as minus 50 degrees, posing a risk of frostbite on exposed skin, as well as hypothermia.
Weather watches and warnings in the United States
National weather radar
Contributing: Ayrton Ostley, USA Today
