Storm smashes snowfall records across US, disrupts travel
By
Chaffin Mitchell, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Feb 6, 2020 1:35 AM EDT
It was a messy commute to work for many residents of Kalamazoo, Michigan, on Feb. 6. Other people were seen digging themselves out of deep snow.
A potent winter storm barreled eastward across the country Wednesday into Thursday, bringing the biggest snowfall of the season to some central U.S. cities along the way.
Up to 2 inches of snow had fallen by 8:20 a.m. CST, Thursday, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, which was enough to coat sidewalks and roads in a slick layer of snow and make for a messy morning commute. Parked cars had to be scraped clean of a thick layer of snow that had accumulated over them. By the time the final snow amount for Thursday is tallied, the daily snowfall record for Feb. 6, which currently stands at 4 inches set back in 1914, could be broken.
The storm had dumped up to 4 to 5 inches of snow across Illinois by Thursday afternoon before crossing into Indiana and Michigan.
During Thursday night, snowflakes on the backside of the storm were observed in Memphis and Nashville, Tennessee. Huntsville, Alabama, reported a brief period of light snow, while sleet was reported in Tupelo, Mississippi.
The storm smashed the daily snowfall record in Oklahoma City on Wednesday after 4.6 inches of snow blanketed the city. The previous record for Feb. 5 was 2.3 inches set in 2002.
Portions of Oklahoma, including Oklahoma City, were under a winter storm warning on Wednesday.
The inclement weather caused a semi-truck to jackknife on Interstate 44 near Oklahoma City as well as strand vehicles on the metro area’s snow-covered roads, KOCO-TV reported.
The local station also reported many school closures in the area due to the wintry weather.
In Missouri, at least one person was injured in a multi-vehicle crash on the Missouri River Bridge in Rocheport on Wednesday, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said.
Multiple westbound lanes on I-70 at the bridge were closed for roughly four hours while cleanup was underway. The long delay was caused by emergency personnel having to clear a lot of sheet metal.
Missouri Highway Patrol reported multiple other crashes and stranded vehicles on Wednesday during the poor winter weather driving conditions.
As cold air funneled southward by Wednesday night, some snow and sleet were reported in eastern Texas, including near Dallas and Houston.
Upwards of 4 inches of snow fell in areas near El Paso, Texas, on Wednesday.
Prior to impacting the central and southern Plains, the storm brought accumulating snowfall to the interior West. Enough snow fell at Salt Lake City International Airport to break the Feb. 3, 1936, record of 7 inches on Monday as snow buried the area.
Schools closed or were delayed due to the storm in states such as Idaho, Wyoming, and Utah, according to USA Today.
AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist John Gresiak explained the multi-hazard storm hassled parts of the Plains, Great Lakes and the Northeast with snow and ice while flooding rain and severe storms erupted across the Deep South and Southeast in the warmer air.
Heavier snow accumulations are expected from the Great Lakes into parts of the Northeast through Friday night.
AccuWeather meteorologists forecast the storm to move off the New England coast late Friday, while heavy snow with strong winds will develop in areas from northern New York through Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and southern Quebec into Friday night.
Visibility may decrease to less than a mile in those areas during the heaviest snow, which will create further whiteout conditions leading to dangerous travel.
Additional reporting by Blake Naftel
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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News / Weather News
Storm smashes snowfall records across US, disrupts travel
By Chaffin Mitchell, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Feb 6, 2020 1:35 AM EDT
It was a messy commute to work for many residents of Kalamazoo, Michigan, on Feb. 6. Other people were seen digging themselves out of deep snow.
A potent winter storm barreled eastward across the country Wednesday into Thursday, bringing the biggest snowfall of the season to some central U.S. cities along the way.
Up to 2 inches of snow had fallen by 8:20 a.m. CST, Thursday, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, which was enough to coat sidewalks and roads in a slick layer of snow and make for a messy morning commute. Parked cars had to be scraped clean of a thick layer of snow that had accumulated over them. By the time the final snow amount for Thursday is tallied, the daily snowfall record for Feb. 6, which currently stands at 4 inches set back in 1914, could be broken.
The storm had dumped up to 4 to 5 inches of snow across Illinois by Thursday afternoon before crossing into Indiana and Michigan.
During Thursday night, snowflakes on the backside of the storm were observed in Memphis and Nashville, Tennessee. Huntsville, Alabama, reported a brief period of light snow, while sleet was reported in Tupelo, Mississippi.
The storm smashed the daily snowfall record in Oklahoma City on Wednesday after 4.6 inches of snow blanketed the city. The previous record for Feb. 5 was 2.3 inches set in 2002.
Portions of Oklahoma, including Oklahoma City, were under a winter storm warning on Wednesday.
The inclement weather caused a semi-truck to jackknife on Interstate 44 near Oklahoma City as well as strand vehicles on the metro area’s snow-covered roads, KOCO-TV reported.
The local station also reported many school closures in the area due to the wintry weather.
In Missouri, at least one person was injured in a multi-vehicle crash on the Missouri River Bridge in Rocheport on Wednesday, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said.
Multiple westbound lanes on I-70 at the bridge were closed for roughly four hours while cleanup was underway. The long delay was caused by emergency personnel having to clear a lot of sheet metal.
Missouri Highway Patrol reported multiple other crashes and stranded vehicles on Wednesday during the poor winter weather driving conditions.
As cold air funneled southward by Wednesday night, some snow and sleet were reported in eastern Texas, including near Dallas and Houston.
Upwards of 4 inches of snow fell in areas near El Paso, Texas, on Wednesday.
Prior to impacting the central and southern Plains, the storm brought accumulating snowfall to the interior West. Enough snow fell at Salt Lake City International Airport to break the Feb. 3, 1936, record of 7 inches on Monday as snow buried the area.
Schools closed or were delayed due to the storm in states such as Idaho, Wyoming, and Utah, according to USA Today.
AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist John Gresiak explained the multi-hazard storm hassled parts of the Plains, Great Lakes and the Northeast with snow and ice while flooding rain and severe storms erupted across the Deep South and Southeast in the warmer air.
Heavier snow accumulations are expected from the Great Lakes into parts of the Northeast through Friday night.
Related:
AccuWeather meteorologists forecast the storm to move off the New England coast late Friday, while heavy snow with strong winds will develop in areas from northern New York through Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and southern Quebec into Friday night.
Visibility may decrease to less than a mile in those areas during the heaviest snow, which will create further whiteout conditions leading to dangerous travel.
Additional reporting by Blake Naftel
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo