Midwest winter blast: Chicago, Detroit in path of major snowstorm
The biggest snowstorm of the winter so far will bury Midwest cities such as Chicago and Detroit prior to the end of this week. Major travel disruptions are anticipated.
From Kansas to Michigan, the latest February storm dumped snow across the Midwest on Feb. 12.
Following a storm that merely skirted areas north of the Ohio Valley, a larger and more northward-tracking winter storm brought a zone of snow from portions of the Interstate 70, 80 and 90 corridors of the central United States into Wednesday night, before spreading to northern New England into Thursday, AccuWeather meteorologists warn.
Accumulating snow from the storm east of the Rockies will extend nearly 2,000 miles from Colorado to Michigan and Maine. Major travel disruptions will occur as snow falls on some of the busiest roads and airports in the nation.
This ended up being the biggest snowstorm of the winter (so far) for several Midwest cities including Chicago. The biggest single storm for Chicago (O'Hare Airport) prior to this was 2.2 inches on Jan. 10 while 2.8 inches was recorded on Wednesday. Chicago and many other cities in the North Central states are lagging well behind the typical seasonal snowfall thus far. Chicago has registered only 10 inches of snow as of Monday, Feb. 10, compared to a historical average of 24.5 inches for this point in the season. Snowfall in Milwaukee was at 39% of the historical average with 44% for Minneapolis and 56% in Detroit.
This will be a big snowstorm for the major cities in southeastern Canada as well with a general 20-45 centimeters of accumulation on the way for Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City.
Just south of the heavy snow zone, a wintry mix and ice will occur from central Oklahoma to the central and southern Appalachians and central New England. Cities in the Central states that can expect a slippery wintry mix include Oklahoma City, St. Louis, Indianapolis and Cleveland.
A substantial buildup of ice, perhaps the second of the week in less than 48 hours, can lead to power outages and dangerous travel in portions of West Virginia and western Virginia, mainly along and northwest of the I-81 corridor.
The storm is likely to bring mostly rain to the Ohio Valley and much of the mid-Atlantic to southern New England since it will be tracking much farther to the north than a storm spanning Monday night to Wednesday morning.
Since rain and mild, moist air will fall on some areas that will be blanketed in snow into Wednesday, locally dense fog may form and could negatively impact ground and air travel in the Ohio Valley and the Northeast.
"Because of the extent of ice that has developed on area streams and rivers in portions of the Ohio Valley, the central Appalachians and the mid-Atlantic, the short-term thaw could be significant enough to trigger ice jams," AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said, "People living along unprotected areas of streams and rivers should remain vigilant for trouble late this week into the weekend, but plunging temperatures that follow the late week storm should help to mitigate the risk."
Yet another storm is coming this weekend in the Central and Eastern states. Compared to the Wednesday-Thursday storm, that storm could take a track farther to the south and could be the strongest of the trio this week, perhaps with substantial severe weather in the Southeast. At least two more storms will follow next week as the February frenzy continues.
The storms will bring rounds of heavy rain and the risk of flash flooding, along with severe weather in the South Central and Southeast states.
Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts™ are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.
Report a Typo
