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A major winter storm with millions of Americans in its path brought a mix of rain, freezing rain and snow to the central US on Wednesday as airlines canceled thousands of flights, governors urged residents to stay off roads and schools closed campuses.
The blast of frigid weather, which began arriving Tuesday night, put a long stretch of states from New Mexico and Colorado to Maine under winter storm warnings and watches. On Wednesday morning, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan saw freezing rain, sleet and snow, while parts of southwestern Ontario braced for the storm’s impact.
Atlantic Canada is likely to see the worst of the storm north of the border.
CBC meteorologist Nick Czernkovich says the storm system will intensify as it moves toward the region in the next couple of days.
When it arrives, it is likely to bring a mixed bag of rain, extended periods of freezing rain and heavy snow, Czernovich said – with snowfalls of 20 to 40 centimeters possible – starting Thursday and continuing into the weekend.
Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement advising that parts of western, central and northeastern Newfoundland could see 25 to 50 centimeters over the next few days.
Illinois, Indiana getting hit
In the US on Wednesday, some places by midday had already reported snow totals nearing or exceeding 30 centimeters. The central Illinois town of Lewistown reported 36.6 centimeters and the northeastern Missouri city of Hannibal reported 29.2 centimeters.
“And it’s still snowing across these areas,” said Andrew Orrison, a meteorologist with the U.S. National Weather Service in College Park, Md.
Central Illinois and northern Indiana appeared likely to receive the most snowfall, with expected totals ranging from 30 to 45 centimeters by the end of Thursday, said Orrison.
Snow had begun to taper off in Missouri by early afternoon but much of the state could wind up with 20 to 30 centimeters of snow. Parts of Michigan also could end up with totals of around 30 centimeters or so by Thursday.
In Chicago, Elisha Waldman and his sons welcomed the opportunity to hit a sledding hill Wednesday morning even as snow continued to fall.
“Cold and wet and wonderful, and getting cold and wet is part of the fun with the guys, and we get to go inside and have hot cocoa and warm up,” Waldman said.
In Detroit’s western suburbs, Tony Haley also found an advantage to the weather. He owns a landscaping and irrigation company that offers snow removal and salting services, but the early winter weeks offered few opportunities for business.
“This one here, we’re looking for a good two, three days of work,” Haley said after clearing snow away from several businesses in Canton, Mich.
But for those on the roads, the heavy snow created hazardous conditions.
“We’re receiving a lot of snow over here in northwest Indiana and it’s the wet, slushy snow that causes treacherous driving conditions to say the least,” Indiana State Police Sgt. Glen Fifield told WFLD-TV.
In central Missouri, officials shut down part of Interstate 70 midday after a crash made the roadway impassable.
Areas south of the heavy snow were expected to see freezing rain, with the heaviest ice predicted along the lower Ohio Valley area from Louisville, Ky., To Memphis, Tenn.
Looking like ‘the real deal’
“If everything holds to where it is right now, this is the real deal,” said Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who ordered state government offices to close on Thursday. “It’s dangerous. People need to be prepared.”
The disruptive storm moved across the central US on Groundhog Day, the same day the famed groundhog Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of winter. The storm came on the heels of a vicious nor’easter last weekend that brought blizzard conditions to many parts of the US East Coast.
The storm’s path extended as far south as Texas, where nearly a year after a catastrophic freeze buckled the state’s power grid into one of the worst blackouts in US history. The forecast did not call for the same prolonged and frigid temperatures as the February 2021 storm, and the National Weather Service said the system would, generally, not be as bad this time for Texas.
No large-scale power outages were reported by early afternoon Wednesday in Texas or elsewhere, according to poweroutage.us.
Snowfall totals reached 56 centimeters in Colorado Springs, Colo., And up to 25 centimeters in the Denver area, with more expected, prompting universities, state government offices and the state legislature to shut down.
Airlines canceled nearly 8,000 flights in the US scheduled for Wednesday or Thursday, the flight-tracking service FlightAware.com showed. Airports in Chicago, Kansas City and Detroit canceled more flights than usual.
