A major winter storm is expected to bring historic snowfall to the Midwest and other parts of the country this week and has already caused some travel delays and dangerous conditions. Nearly 110 million Americans are currently on their way to bad weather.
On Monday, there was more than 20 centimeters of snow in several Midwestern cities, including Des Moines, Iowa; Chicago, Illinois; and Omaha, Nebraska.
The Iowa Department of Transportation warned residents against traveling Monday to central and southwestern parts of the state. “This storm is up to the hype and rapidly intensifying with blackout conditions, causing several accidents on I-80,” the department said in a statement.
Moderate snowfall is expected to continue overnight, with an average of 3 inches of snow in Iowa. State officials are communicating several vehicle accidents and recommending Iowa residents to stay home and avoid traveling.
The snow caused poor driving conditions in Iowa and Nebraska, forcing authorities to temporarily close some COVID-19 test sites. Five “TestIowa” locations – Council Bluffs, De Moines, Cedar Rapids, Davenport and Waterloo – were closed on Monday morning and will open two hours on Tuesday.
Meteorologists said heavy snow will continue to occur on Monday in eastern Kansas and Nebraska, and will spread through Missouri, Iowa and Illinois on Tuesday. Areas across eastern Kansas and western Ohio could see small accumulations of freezing rain.
“We hope that the trip will become very difficult tonight, if not impossible in some areas,” said the Omaha National Weather Service. At least 20 centimeters of snow have fallen there so far, with another 5 to 20 centimeters expected until 10pm on Monday. Some roads are “completely covered” in snow across southeastern Nebraska.
The Midwest is expected to see at least another seven days of heavy snowfall, with a forecast of up to 5 centimeters per hour in cities near the Great Lakes. In Chicago, the winds caused by the storm will create waves in the Great Lakes up to 4 meters, causing moderate flooding on the coast.
Charlie Neibergall / AP
On the east coast, New York can have less than two inches of snow, while New England can see rain, freezing rain and melting snow.
More than 820 flights were delayed and more than 2,080 were canceled to and from the US on Monday. according to FlightAware.com. Another 960 flights were canceled for Tuesday.
Another storm is expected to hit the West Coast this week. California can be hit by an abrupt amount of heavy rain and heavy snowstorms. Sierra Nevada can see about a foot of snow on Monday.
The storm will move south along the west coast, spreading heavy rain and higher white snow from Washington to Oregon and California. Snow is expected to continue in the higher regions until Friday, giving mountain residents at least 5 feet of additional snow.
Conditions could put Sierra Nevada residents from Santa Cruz to Santa Barbara in great danger on Wednesday and Thursday, with flash floods and landslides, the meteorological service said. Residents are advised to be on the lookout for any important weather alerts.