First Major Winter Storm of the Season Slams the U.S. Plains and Midwest

Written by Team Morecast

 

After a relatively quiet holiday season in the U.S.A. weather-wise, a major storm is bringing serious ice and snow to the Midwest and Plains. High winds are also whipping up the snow, leading to dangerous blizzard conditions even after the snow winds down. The storm spun up over the Plains Saturday night, spreading into the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic on Sunday.

 

 

The heaviest accumulations so far have been reported in northern Kansas and northwest Missouri with widespread 12-18 inch (30-45 cm) amounts. Wind gusts in excess of 40 mph (65 kph), as high as 58 mph (93 kph), have lead to prolonged blizzard conditions with near-zero visibility shutting down major arteries. There have even been instances of thunder and lightning with the heavy snow squalls. The dangerous conditions have lead to hundreds of flight cancellations, especially at major hubs like Kansas City and St. Louis. The high winds and plummeting temperatures have driven wind chills well below zero deg F (-18 deg C), life-threatening cold that will persist for days.

 

 

A swath of mixed precipitation has dropped ice accumulations up to 0.75″ (20 mm) just to the south, especially from southern Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana into western Kentucky. This has led to very slick driving conditions and numerous accidents. High winds and heavy ice are also combining to bring down branches and trees, leading to hundreds of thousands of power outages across several states. Significant snows and icing will continue to accrue in the Mid-Atlantic through Monday before the storm moves off the coast.

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