REPORTS: Blizzard shuts down travel across Iowa, Nebraska; Severe storms blast southeastern US

As of 6 a.m. CST, this blog is no longer active. Archived reports from the storm can be found below.

Snow blasted the Upper Midwest on Tuesday and into Wednesday, even producing blizzard conditions at times. The heaviest snow occurred from south-central Nebraska into northwest Iowa with totals over a foot.

Travel across parts of the central U.S. was treacherous as heavy snow and winds made for slippery roads and low visibility. Major highways, including parts of I-70 and I-80 were shut down at times from Colorado to Iowa.

Meanwhile, thunderstorms became severe over the lower Mississippi Valley later Tuesday into Tuesday night. Strong winds and possible tornadoes slammed communities in Alabama, damaging property and cutting power to thousands.

5:23 a.m. CST Wednesday: More than 14,000 Alabama Power customers are without power, mostly in Birmingham, the utility reports.

4:43 a.m. CST Wednesday: 13.5 inches of snow has fallen in Loup City, Nebraska, a cooperative observer reported.

4:32 a.m. CST Wednesday: Line of storms preparing to move into the Atlanta metro area.

4:25 a.m. CST Wednesday: An apartment complex is being evacuated due to flood waters in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, near the Tennessee state line, Catoosa County Emergency Management Agency reports.

4:14 a.m. CST Wednesday: Storm damage reported in Cookeville, Tennessee.

3:47 a.m. CST Wednesday: Numerous roads are flooded in Bledsoe County, Tennessee, according to the county's 911 call center.

3:33 a.m. CST Wednesday: More than 160 flights, mostly at Minneapolis airport, are canceled so far Wednesday, FlightStats reports.

3:23 a.m. CST Wednesday: Thunderstorms with possible damaging winds, flooding rains are moving through Tennessee and Mississippi valleys, AccuWeather Meteorologist Brett Rathbun said.

3:09 a.m. CST Wednesday: I-80 near Shelby, and I-35 near Williams, are blocked due to jackknifed tractor-trailers, IowaDOT reports.

3:00 a.m. CST Wednesday: More than 10,000 Alabama Power customers are without power as a result of the storms.

2:42 a.m. CST Wednesday: Interstate signs knocked down on a wet I-59 near Birmingham, Alabama, ABC 33/40 reports.

2:38 a.m. CST Wednesday: As of 1 a.m. CST Wednesday, Jackson, Mississippi, received 5.14 inches of rain.

2:33 a.m. CST Wednesday: Iowa DOT snow plow works on Iowa Route 376 near Dakota City.

2:20 a.m. CST Wednesday: 8.2 inches of snow has fallen 5 miles north of Earlham, an NWS-trained spotter reported.

1:51 a.m. CST Wednesday: Numerous roads remain closed due to whiteout conditions in southwestern Minnesota, the Minnesota Department of Transportation reported.

1:33 a.m. CST Wednesday: Denver Public Schools are on a 1-hour delay for the second straight day.

1:31 a.m. CST Wednesday: Heavy rain falling in Vestavia, Alabama.

1:26 a.m. CST Wednesday:1:07 a.m. CST Wednesday: Disruptive travel conditions continue in northern and western Iowa, according to the Iowa DOT.

1:23 a.m. CST Wednesday: Mason City, Iowa, broke its Feb. 2 snowfall record with 10.0 inches; old record was 6.3 inches, set in 2004.

1:03 a.m. CST Wednesday: Tuesday's snowfall in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was a record-breaker for the day.

1:00 a.m. CST Wednesday: Storms cause major damage in Pickens County, Alabama.

12:39 a.m. CST Wednesday: Line of storms that moved through Tuscaloosa, Alabama, is now moving toward Birmingham.

12:33 a.m. CST Wednesday: Alpena, Michigan, broke its Feb. 2 snowfall record with 6.3 inches; old record was 4.3 inches, set in 1930.

12:26 a.m. CST Wednesday: Power outages starting around Huntsville, Alabama.

12:19 a.m. CST Wednesday: About 9 inches of snow has fallen so far in Minneapolis.

12:07 a.m. CST Wednesday: Flash flooding occurring in Sulligent, Alabama, fire officials reported.

12:02 a.m. CST Wednesday: Line of storms will move into Tuscaloosa, Alabama, within the next 30 minutes, AccuWeather Meteorologist Brett Rathbun said.

11:54 p.m. CST Tuesday: Flight delays of more than six-and-a-half hours are reported at Minneapolis-St Paul International/Wold-Chamberlain Airport, Minneapolis, the FAA said.

11:45 p.m. CST Tuesday: 7.8 inches of snow has fallen at Gile, Wisconsin, an NWS-trained spotter reported.

11:42 p.m. CST Tuesday: Minneapolis police investigate a fatal vehicle-pedestrian accident on a snow-covered street late Tuesday afternoon.

11:30 p.m. CST Tuesday: Muskegon, Michigan, broke its Feb. 2 rainfall record with 1.25 inches; old record was 0.57 inches, set in 1968.

11:17 p.m. CST Tuesday: Radar-confirmed tornado on the ground near Reform, Alabama, the National Weather Service at Birmingham said.

10:55 p.m. CST Tuesday First Baptist Church in Collinsville, Mississippi, was severely damaged after a tornado hit the community on Tuesday afternoon.

10:47 p.m. CST Tuesday: 18.3-inch storm total in Grand Island, Nebraska, is the second-highest two-day snowfall total on record, and 15.7 inches in Hastings, Nebraska, is the fourth-highest two-day total on record.

10:41 p.m. CST Tuesday: Thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado is located east of Marion, Alabama.

10:38 p.m. CST Tuesday: Road closures continue in south-central Minnesota.

10:33 p.m. CST Tuesday: Snow emergency issued in Minneapolis.

10:31 p.m. CST Tuesday: About 8 inches of snow has fallen near Maple Grove, Minnesota.

10:16 p.m. CST Tuesday: Storms caused damage in five Mississippi counties, the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency reported. Damage included homes and East Central Community College in Kemper County; homes and West Lauderdale High School in the Collinsville area of Lauderdale County; and Reed Elementary School in the Shuqualak area of Noxubee County.

10:10 p.m. CST Tuesday: Snowy travel on I-35E at Roselawn Avenue, Minneapolis, according to Minnesota DOT webcam.

10:02 p.m. CST Tuesday: About 75 people left homeless in Aliceville, Alabama, after reported tornado, the Alabama Red Cross said.

9:50 p.m. CST Tuesday: Snowy conditions on U.S. Route 31 at Charlevoix, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, according to Michigan DOT webcam.

9:47 p.m. CST Tuesday: Poor visibility in Aurora, Nebraska, emergency management reported.

9:44 p.m. CST Tuesday: White-out conditions force plow crews to regroup in Iowa until Wednesday morning, the Iowa DOT said.

9:34 p.m. CST Tuesday: The GOES-East satellite captured the storm front that brought a tornado near Carrolton, Alabama, late Tuesday afternoon.

9:23 p.m. CST Tuesday: Tornado near Beaverton, Alabama, according to Lamar County emergency management.

9:18 p.m. CST Tuesday: More storm damage reported in western Alabama.

8:22 p.m. CST Tuesday: Storm chaser Mike Scantlin captured footage of a massive wedge tornado near McMullen, Alabama, earlier today.

7:59 p.m. CST Tuesday: Significant damage reported in the town of Aliceville, Alabama.

7:38 p.m. CST Tuesday: Flash flooding reported in Philadelphia, Mississippi:

7:16 p.m. CST Tuesday: Some roads remain snow covered in Kansas, while others are beginning to reopen:

6:57 p.m. CST Tuesday: Blizzard conditions are still ongoing in parts of Nebraska:

6:47 p.m. CST Tuesday:There are over 760 flights canceled in the U.S. and nearly 3,500 delayed, according to FlightStats. At Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, nearly 270 flights have been canceled.

6:23 p.m. CST Tuesday: So far today, there have been seven reports of tornadoes according to the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center.

6:18 p.m. CST Tuesday: An emergency manager reports damage to a roof of a house and store along Highway 145 on the north side of Shuqualak, Mississippi.

6:12 p.m. CST Tuesday: A look at the road conditions across Wisconsin as snow continues to move through the Upper Midwest:

5:54 p.m. CST Tuesday: The baseball field at East Mississippi was also damaged as a result of the severe storms.

5:33 p.m. CST Tuesday: Damage was reported in Collinsville, Mississippi, around 3:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday.

5:25 p.m. CST Tuesday: Through 4:30 p.m. local time, there were 287 crashes and 28 injuries in Minnesota today.

5:11 p.m. CST Tuesday:This photo indicates a tornado on the ground near Dancy, Alabama, earlier this evening.

4:56 p.m. CST Tuesday: A confirmed tornado on the ground near Carrollton, Alabama. A tornado emergency has been declared.

4:45 p.m. CST Tuesday: Possible tornado damage reported at East Mississippi Community College in Scooba, Mississippi.

4:40 p.m. CST Tuesday: Deep snowdrifts near Pierce, Nebraska.

4:28 p.m. CST Tuesday: Thick storm clouds near the NWS office in Memphis:

4:26 p.m. CST Tuesday: The snow is causing travel delays throughout southeast South Dakota.

4:19 p.m. CST Tuesday: A confirmed tornado was on the ground 5 miles northwest of Electric Mills, Mississippi, an NWS trained spotter reports.

4:04 p.m. CST Tuesday: Limited visibility in Grand Island, Nebraska.

3:45 p.m. CST Tuesday: Emergency manager reports tornado damage in the town of Collinsville, Mississippi. First Baptist Church, located in town, was heavily damaged. There were also reports of barns damaged and trees down across roads.

3:39 p.m. CST Tuesday: Whiteout conditions reported in Hays, Kansas.

3:21 p.m. CST Tuesday: The Nebraska Department of Roads had to pull snowplows off of the state highways in District Three due to extremely low visibility. Blowing and drifting snow is making the roads impassable. For an update on the highways across the state, click here.

3:03 p.m. CST Tuesday: A car was buried in snow in Boone County, Iowa, earlier this afternoon.

2:09 p.m. CST Tuesday: Reed Timmer is broadcasting live from North Sioux City, South Dakota.

2:00 p.m. CST Tuesday: A look at some of the highest snowfall totals by state:

1:41 p.m. CST Tuesday: Motorists are encouraged to avoid travel in much of northern Iowa.

1:23 p.m. CST Tuesday: Road closures are anticipated across southern Minnesota due to the snow.

12:26 p.m. CST Tuesday: Heavy snow has moved into the southern Twin Cities area in Minnesota:

12:17 p.m. CST Tuesday: Storms will continue to intensify east of the Mississippi River today, potentially bringing a tornado, AccuWeather Meteorologist Logan Poole said.

"A band of strong-to-severe storms will develop in south-central Mississippi early this afternoon and progress northward through the evening," he said. "The storms will be isolated in nature and pose an enhanced risk of producing tornadoes."

12:14 p.m. CST Tuesday: University of West Alabama will close at 2 p.m. CST in advance of severe weather.

11:56 a.m. CST Tuesday: Senior Meteorologist Bernie Rayno has the latest on the blizzard and the impending severe storms:

11:52 a.m. CST Tuedsday: Inbound flights to Denver International Airport and Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport are facing more than 60-minute delays due to snow and ice, the FAA reports.

10:50 a.m. CST Tuesday: Nearly 7,000 Alliant Energy customers are without power in eastern Iowa, the utility reports.

10:48 a.m. CST Tuesday: More than 120 flights have been canceled at Denver International Airport so far amid wintry weather, according to FlightStats.

10:33 a.m. CST Tuesday: Conditions are becoming increasingly hazardous across parts of Iowa as snow falls:

10:16 a.m. CST Tuesday: Emergency management in Emmet County, Iowa, reports visibility is less than a quarter of a mile due to strong winds and heavy snow. Travel is not advised in the county, they said.

10:08 a.m. CST Tuesday: Snow continues to pile up in Lincoln, Nebraska:

10:04 a.m. CST Tuesday: Snow is blanketing Ogallala, Nebraska:

For archived storm reports, click here.

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