Up to a foot of snow could fall in parts of Iowa and Wisconsin on Tuesday
The blizzard that paralyzed parts of the Plains with nearly a foot of snow and whiteout conditions is on the move as low pressure reaches its peak as it moves into the Great Lakes. FOX Weather's Nicole Valdes lives in Des Moines, Iowa with the latest news.
A larger, more powerful storm than the one that made headlines over the weekend is punishing the Plains and Midwest with a snowstorm at the beginning of the week.
“Boy, the weather pattern has changed over the last week and a half or so,” said Tom Niziol, FOX's winter storm specialist. “This snow storm will deal a huge blow to the winter side, the severe side and the heavy rain side across the United States.”
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Effects
More than 30 states will feel the effects of the storm, from wind to snow to flooding, rain and severe storms. Tropical storm-force wind gusts and falling snow created near-whiteout conditions, making travel dangerous, if not impossible.
What makes a blizzard different from a regular snowstorm?
Future radar and wind gusts until Wednesday. (Fox Weather)
The National Weather Service has issued winter weather advisories, including blizzard warnings, across the Plains and Midwest through Tuesday morning. Winter storm watches extend as far south as Texas and Oklahoma. Winter weather warnings are heading toward the Great Lakes region and continue through Wednesday.
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On Monday, the Nebraska State Patrol responded to 50 weather-related crashes caused by slippery roads.
Officials have closed several highways from Colorado to Kansas to Missouri so far. This includes I-70 in both directions in western Kansas and I-80 in Nebraska.
“Just in the last hour, the situation has gone from, ‘It's not so bad out there. “This wasn't covered in snow at all, and maybe even a little bit of rain. “And now we're close to that blizzard condition,” Mark Suddath told a FOX Weather Storm Tracker exclusive during coverage of the storm. “The wind is blowing hard here. It's snowing in the covered parking lots. People are coming for cover.”
Watch the blizzard blast across the plains as snow limits visibility on major highways
What you should know about blowing and drifting snow
Late Monday, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly issued a state of disaster emergency due to winter storms. Emergency crews responded across the state, anticipating heavy snowfall overnight.
“When this storm really starts to strengthen, and produces those blizzard conditions over the Plains and across the upper Midwest, we're likely to see some significant travel issues, even into the Chicago area, where most of the rain will fall before dark.” “The system will come in the form of rain, especially your flight into the Chicago area Tuesday night into Wednesday,” Neziol said.
Before the snow ends Wednesday, a band of 8 to 12 inches of snowfall is expected to accumulate in a corridor from Nebraska through northern Michigan.
What is snow drift?
The South faces a severe weather threat for several days with overnight tornadoes and the possibility of large hail
Tuesday
A powerful storm is headed toward the Great Lakes on Tuesday, but gusty winds will continue across the Plains even after the rain ends. The back of the storm is much colder, so areas like Chicago could see some snow with very cold temperatures late Tuesday.
“On the back side, look at those strong winds in places like Wichita as we arrive Tuesday morning. I would have to say the wind speeds are in the 50 to 60 mph range,” Neziol said. “And then the system will continue to move up through the Great Lakes region. So, there are very significant issues for that part of the Midwest as we go into Tuesday and Wednesday. Big snow storm conditions for that area.”
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Wednesday
Detroit, Cleveland and Indianapolis will have to face difficult travel on Wednesday due to strong winds and snow falling across the Great Lakes region.
Rain may also continue over parts of New England early today, with snow accumulating in parts of inland Maine. Winds will remain gusty even after rain falls off the East Coast.
The Northeast faces threats of widespread power outages and flooding as another powerful storm approaches the eastern United States
More is coming
The current pattern of the jet stream, moving south over the center of the country, will push other storms from the west into the southern Plains and then to the northeast late this week and into next week.
Get ready for another round of snow and rain this weekend
Winter storm specialist Tom Niziol highlights the very active weather pattern across the country. I've just left the northern region now, as the next storm brings blizzards and severe storms to the central part of the country. It is expected to be a bomb cyclone moving up the West Coast early in the week and the storm taking the same path.
How cold is it?
“I've been in the winter weather business for over 30 years and I've never seen a lot of setups like this,” said Tom Niziol, a winter storm specialist. “This will not just be one storm after another, but one large, high-impact winter storm after another.”
Two more storms will follow the jet stream west into the southern Plains and then northeast late this week and into next week. (Fox Weather)
