Storm to unload disruptive snow in midwestern US

A storm will deliver enough snow to shovel and plow over a broad area of the midwestern United States through Monday evening.

After unloading a widespread 5 to 9 inches of snow from eastern South Dakota to southwestern Minnesota and northern Iowa on Sunday, the storm will sweep eastward across the Great Lakes and the upper Ohio Valley Monday night.

"The storm will unload a swath of 1 to 6 inches of snow over much of the Midwest through Monday," according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Max Vido.

Chicago has received its first inch of snow since the middle of December and wind up with its biggest snowfall of the winter, where snowstorms have been almost non-existent.

Enough snow will fall from Milwaukee and Chicago to Detroit; South Bend, Indiana; and Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio, to cause travel delays and disruptions to daily activities. Lake-effect snow will bring an additional accumulation to some of these locations through Tuesday.

This storm will behave more like a storm during January or early February, rather than the middle of March. Due to cold air in front of and during the storm, much of the snow that falls will accumulate on roads and other paved surfaces.

Farther south, the storm delivered 1 to 2 inches of snow to St. Louis. As the storm moves eastward enough snow can fall to cover the ground over the Ohio Valley, including Louisville and Lexington, Kentucky; Indianapolis; Cincinnati; and Huntington and Charleston, West Virginia. In these areas, some surfaces that were made wet by intermittent snow can freeze before drying off.

This storm will join forces with another budding storm on the Atlantic coast during Monday night and Tuesday. As the merge occurs and the storm strengthens, frigid air will pour southward from Canada on gusty winds.

"The open waters of the Great Lakes have the potential to bring locally heavy amounts of snow as the storm progresses and immediately in its wake," Vido said.

As a result, travel problems may continue due to wind, cold, bands of lake-effect snow and blowing and drifting snow through the middle of the week.

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