A major winter storm has covered most of Kansas, western Nebraska, and parts of Indiana with snow and ice, making travel pretty treacherous in the central U.S. on Sunday.
This storm is expected to head toward the Ohio Valley, bringing along a mix of snow, ice, strong winds, and plummeting temperatures. In fact, some areas might see their heaviest snowfall in ten years! The National Guard was called into action in Indiana to assist stranded drivers.
In areas north of Interstate 70, forecasts suggest at least 8 inches of snow could pile up. The National Weather Service has issued winter storm warnings for both Kansas and Missouri due to blizzard conditions that could bring wind gusts reaching up to 45 miles per hour (that’s about 72 kilometers per hour!). These warnings are even extending into New Jersey for Monday and early Tuesday.
According to Bob Oravec from the National Weather Service, around 63 million people across the U.S. are currently under some sort of winter weather alert. Meanwhile, Gary Wright was out in mid-Missouri trying to clear a thick layer of ice off his SUV while bundled up in a parka.
He plans to work from home for the University of Missouri-Columbia on Monday but figured he’d take advantage of the snowy weather as an excuse to get outside for a bit. He’s also looking for some boots for his two older dogs since they refuse to step onto the icy ground!
This whole situation can be traced back to something called the polar vortex—a swirling mass of super cold air that usually hangs around the North Pole but sometimes stretches southward into places like the U.S., Europe, and Asia when it gets disrupted.
Research suggests that a rapidly warming Arctic is contributing to more frequent instances where this icy vortex breaks free and sends its chill down south!
Looks like we might be in for some snow and ice soon, and there’s even a chance of tornadoes!
In Indiana, snow has completely blanketed parts of Interstate 64, Interstate 69, and U.S. Route 41. Because of this, the Indiana State Police are urging drivers to stay off the roads while snowplows try to keep up with the heavy snowfall. Sgt. Todd Ringle mentioned that it’s coming down so fast that by the time a plow clears a path, it’s already covered again within half an hour!
Over in central Kansas, a section of I-70 had to be closed by Saturday afternoon due to the weather. Some areas in the state have seen about 10 inches (25 centimeters) of snow, and they’re predicting totals could reach over 14 inches for parts of Kansas and northern Missouri with some sleet mixed in.
Meanwhile, Louisville in Kentucky broke a record on Sunday with 7.7 inches (19.5 cm) of snow—way more than the previous record of just 3 inches (7.6 cm) from back in 1910! Lexington also got hit hard with a new record snowfall of 5 inches (12.7 cm).
Upstate New York is dealing with even more snow; some places are getting over 3 feet (0.9 meters) thanks to lake effect conditions that are expected to stick around until late Sunday afternoon. The storm is moving toward the Ohio Valley and will hit the Mid-Atlantic states later on Sunday into Monday, bringing along a hard freeze that could even stretch down into Florida!
Plus, strong winds have knocked down trees across the Deep South, and tornado warnings were issued on Sunday for Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
As the storm rolls in, car accidents are on the rise.
The weather service has put out a warning that traveling by road might be really tough or even impossible. By Sunday, there were reports of hundreds of car accidents across Virginia, Indiana, Kansas, and Kentucky.
In Kentucky, a state trooper was treated for non-life-threatening injuries after his patrol car got hit on Interstate 65. Over in Missouri, the highway patrol mentioned that at least 600 drivers were stuck due to the conditions. In northeastern Kansas, highways were shut down because they were impassable, including about 220 miles of Interstate 70 stretching from the Missouri border into central Kansas.
Kentucky’s Governor Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency before the storm hit and announced that state buildings would be closed on Monday. He urged people to stay off the roads if they didn’t have to travel: We see way too many accidents happening out there; please stay home and keep your family safe, he said.
Meanwhile, Virginia State Police reported at least 135 crashes as the storm made its way into their area on Sunday. Thankfully, while there were some injuries reported, no one lost their life.
Travel by air and train also got all jammed up.
The storms really messed things up for the country’s rail system, resulting in a bunch of cancellations. On Sunday alone, over 20 trains were set to be canceled, with 40 more lined up for Monday and at least two for Tuesday.
Amtrak spokesperson Marc Magliari pointed out that it doesn’t make much sense to keep running all these services when local authorities are advising people to stay home. The Midwest took quite a hit, too—trains between Chicago and New York as well as several regional routes from Chicago to St. Louis were among those scrapped on Sunday. Plus, nearly 200 flights were canceled at St. Louis Lambert International Airport, according to FlightAware.
The temperatures are dropping, but we’re not setting any new records.
Beginning Monday, the eastern two-thirds of the nation is in for some seriously frigid weather, according to forecasters. We’re talking temperatures that could plummet 12 to 25 degrees below what’s typical for this time of year.
On Sunday in Chicago, folks were dealing with temps in the teens (around minus 7 to -10 Celsius), while Minneapolis was hovering right around zero.
International Falls, Minnesota—right on the Canadian border—dipped down to a chilling 11 below! Jon Palmer, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gray, Maine, mentioned that the Northeastern states are set for several days of cold after a pretty mild start to winter.
He explained that a blast of cold air from Canada is expected to bring a chilly but dry week ahead. This icy air will stretch down into parts of Georgia and could lead to freezing temperatures along the East Coast, with some areas seeing lows in the single digits.
Plus, as we kick off the week, winds might pick up too, which could create some risky conditions for anyone spending extended time outdoors. Stay warm out there!
The interruptions are spreading downwards.
The National Weather Service is forecasting that Annapolis, Maryland, could see between 8 and 12 inches of snow (roughly 20 to 30 centimeters), and it looks like temperatures will stay below freezing all weekend long.
On Friday, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin announced a state of emergency in anticipation of the storm and reminded everyone to make their voices heard by voting in the special elections coming up on Tuesday. Other states like Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, West Virginia, and some cities in central Illinois have made similar announcements.
All classes have been called off.
It looks like Monday is going to see a lot of schools shutting down. By Sunday afternoon, districts in Indiana, Maryland, Virginia, and Kentucky were already starting to announce cancellations and delays.
In fact, Jefferson County Public Schools in Kentucky decided to cancel classes, after-school activities, and sports for almost 100,000 students. This would have been the kids’ first day back after their winter break! The district made it clear that it’s just a regular snow day—no online classes today!