Winter weather slams central US, halting holiday travel
A strong winter storm brought an enormous amount of snow to much of the Midwest to start the new year.
By
John Murphy, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Jan 1, 2022 8:16 PM EDT
|
Updated Jan 3, 2022 3:21 AM EDT
Meteorologist Tony Laubach reports on deteriorating road conditions as Denver deals with a major snowstorm heading into the new year.
A large winter storm kicked off 2022 with an enormous amount of snow in the central United States. Accumulating and travel-halting snowfall fell in at least 18 states, even reaching parts of Canada.
In Chicago, over 1,000 flights were canceled across O'Hare International Airport and Midway Airport on Saturday. Flight operations were suspended by Southwest Airlines at both Midway and O'Hare due to the snow. A winter storm warning went into effect for most of the Chicago area until Sunday morning.
On the roadways in Illinois, snow began to accumulate in the state by Saturday afternoon, making travel difficult for those around the area including Chicago. Lanes became covered in snow, making it hard for drivers to see closed lanes caused by a crash.
Snowy and slippery conditions began to expand east toward I-55 on Saturday afternoon. Snow could also be seen covering the roads on parts of I-39.
Road conditions quickly deteriorated across more of the state as Saturday went on. By evening, a large portion of northern and eastern Illinois roadways were marked as covered with ice or snow by the Illinois Department of Transportation.
In total, downtown Chicago reported 1-2 inches of snow, suburbs around the city saw as much as 4-6 inches of snow by Sunday afternoon.
Snow covered roads creating difficult travel near Peoria, Illinois, on Saturday evening.
Farther south, heavy snow accumulation and blowing snow caused travel to become extremely difficult in Iowa. Crews responded to a crash on I-380 as snow turned heavy.
Three inches of snow was already reported near Iowa City just after 1 p.m. CST, with amounts increasing as Saturday continued. Drifting snow was reported on the east side of Davenport, Iowa.
The first location to record half a foot of snow as a result of the storm on Saturday was an area near Burlington, Iowa - located in the Southeastern part of the state.
After the sun set in Iowa, a semi jackknifed on I-80 westbound as the snow fell. Iowa State Patrol reported the interstate closed in that area due to the accident.
Portions of eastern Iowa received 6-8 inches of snow. Des Moines recorded about 5 inches of snow on Saturday.
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To the west, a driver in Kansas rear-ended a KDOT plow on I-135 while it was clearing snow.
While most areas in Kansas saw light snow accumulation, ice remained a hazard for travelers across the state.
The driver of the car was transported by EMS with non-life threatening injuries. Icy roads continued to be an issue in Kansas, causing several slideoffs and crashes near Emporia. A KDOT materials spreader slid into a semi, shutting down the onramp for a period of time. No injuries were reported for that crash.
Multiple lanes closed in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, on I-94 southbound as heavy snowfall impacted the area.
Southeastern Wisconsin recorded some of the highest amounts along the Great Lakes from the storm - having received 5-8 inches of snow by Sunday afternoon
Several inches of snow were reported in northern Missouri by late Saturday afternoon. Areas to the east of St. Joseph, Missouri, recorded 3-4 inches of snow by 3 p.m. local time. During the evening, locations like Humeston and Pella, Iowa, recorded over 7 inches of snow total.
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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News / Winter Weather
Winter weather slams central US, halting holiday travel
A strong winter storm brought an enormous amount of snow to much of the Midwest to start the new year.
By John Murphy, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Jan 1, 2022 8:16 PM EDT | Updated Jan 3, 2022 3:21 AM EDT
Meteorologist Tony Laubach reports on deteriorating road conditions as Denver deals with a major snowstorm heading into the new year.
A large winter storm kicked off 2022 with an enormous amount of snow in the central United States. Accumulating and travel-halting snowfall fell in at least 18 states, even reaching parts of Canada.
In Chicago, over 1,000 flights were canceled across O'Hare International Airport and Midway Airport on Saturday. Flight operations were suspended by Southwest Airlines at both Midway and O'Hare due to the snow. A winter storm warning went into effect for most of the Chicago area until Sunday morning.
On the roadways in Illinois, snow began to accumulate in the state by Saturday afternoon, making travel difficult for those around the area including Chicago. Lanes became covered in snow, making it hard for drivers to see closed lanes caused by a crash.
Snowy and slippery conditions began to expand east toward I-55 on Saturday afternoon. Snow could also be seen covering the roads on parts of I-39.
Road conditions quickly deteriorated across more of the state as Saturday went on. By evening, a large portion of northern and eastern Illinois roadways were marked as covered with ice or snow by the Illinois Department of Transportation.
In total, downtown Chicago reported 1-2 inches of snow, suburbs around the city saw as much as 4-6 inches of snow by Sunday afternoon.
Snow covered roads creating difficult travel near Peoria, Illinois, on Saturday evening.
Farther south, heavy snow accumulation and blowing snow caused travel to become extremely difficult in Iowa. Crews responded to a crash on I-380 as snow turned heavy.
Three inches of snow was already reported near Iowa City just after 1 p.m. CST, with amounts increasing as Saturday continued. Drifting snow was reported on the east side of Davenport, Iowa.
The first location to record half a foot of snow as a result of the storm on Saturday was an area near Burlington, Iowa - located in the Southeastern part of the state.
After the sun set in Iowa, a semi jackknifed on I-80 westbound as the snow fell. Iowa State Patrol reported the interstate closed in that area due to the accident.
Portions of eastern Iowa received 6-8 inches of snow. Des Moines recorded about 5 inches of snow on Saturday.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
To the west, a driver in Kansas rear-ended a KDOT plow on I-135 while it was clearing snow.
While most areas in Kansas saw light snow accumulation, ice remained a hazard for travelers across the state.
The driver of the car was transported by EMS with non-life threatening injuries. Icy roads continued to be an issue in Kansas, causing several slideoffs and crashes near Emporia. A KDOT materials spreader slid into a semi, shutting down the onramp for a period of time. No injuries were reported for that crash.
Multiple lanes closed in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, on I-94 southbound as heavy snowfall impacted the area.
Southeastern Wisconsin recorded some of the highest amounts along the Great Lakes from the storm - having received 5-8 inches of snow by Sunday afternoon
Several inches of snow were reported in northern Missouri by late Saturday afternoon. Areas to the east of St. Joseph, Missouri, recorded 3-4 inches of snow by 3 p.m. local time. During the evening, locations like Humeston and Pella, Iowa, recorded over 7 inches of snow total.
More winter coverage:
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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