After coating Midwest with snow, large storm aims for Northeast; 4-8 inches expected in parts of New England
Millions of Americans were under a winter weather warnings or advisories Thursday as a storm that hammered Denver with the biggest two-day January snowfall in more than 30 years blanketed the Midwest before heading for the Northeast.
Freezing rain and heavy snow are forecast for the Northeast, with the region from Vermont to southern Maine expected to receive 4 to 8 inches of snow by the end of Friday.
"Heavy snow rates of up to 1 inch per hour will create dangerous travel (Thursday night) into Friday morning across portions of New England, with lighter periods of snow continuing through much of Friday,'' the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center tweeted.
Friday's winter weather forecast: As storm moves east, snow returns to Utah, Arizona and other states
After dumping 9.1 inches of snow on Denver, the storm made its mark on the Midwest. Snow fell Thursday morning from Iowa to Michigan, the heaviest in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, AccuWeather said.
Heavy, wet snow will continue to fall across parts of the Upper Midwest throughout the day, and 6-12 inches of snow was expected across much of Michigan — and 20 inches possible in localized areas.
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Other weather developments:
- Heavy snow falling across the Upper Peninsula of Michigan since Wednesday night was accompanied by thunder and lightning Thursday. Thundersnow only happens during intense bouts of snow, like what is unfolding over the Upper Midwest, AccuWeather said.
- The National Weather Service office in Cleveland issued a severe thunderstorm warning for northern Ohio, which could see wind gusts of up to 60 mph and even a tornado until 9 p.m. ET Thursday.
- Thursday's snowfall pushed the Minneapolis-St. Paul area over 50 inches for the season, meteorologist Jonathan Yuhas tweeted. That is twice the average for the date and about equal to an entire winter for the region.
- Over 2 million people were under a tornado watch in the South, AccuWeather reported.
- Los Angeles County, which has 88 cities and 10 million people, collected enough water from a series of storms over the last three weeks to supply about 800,000 people for a year, said Mark Pestrella, director of the Los Angeles County Public Works department.
THURSDAY WINTER WEATHER:Snow forecast for central US increases Thursday; 21-vehicle pileup closes Colorado interstate
WHAT DEFINES A BLIZZARD?:Heavy snow and high winds expected to sweep across country.
Northeast to see back-to-back storms
Heavy snow and freezing rain are likely to unload through two more storms over the interior Northeast into the next week, according to AccuWeather.
The first storm will affect the region Sunday into Monday with the second system arriving Tuesday and lasting until Wednesday, AccuWeather added.
Snow is expected to spread over the central plains Saturday night, carrying over to portions of the Midwest on Sunday morning, AccuWeather said. Northeastern states will start to see snowfall Sunday and Monday as it spreads further into the region.
Travel disruptions and power outages are possible due to rain and snow throughout the region.
Wet, clinging snow across upstate New York and northern New England may cause damage to trees and power lines, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson.
4 feet of snow fell in parts of Colorado
Denver International Airport, where the city's measurement is taken, received 9.1 inches of snow between Tuesday and Wednesday. That's Denver's largest January snowstorm since 1992, when it got walloped with 14.8 inches.
The top Colorado snowfall report came from Wolf Creek Ski resort, where 52 inches were recorded, AccuWeather said. The resort is located 10,300 feet above sea level in southwestern Colorado. Nearby Crested Butte was hit with 48 inches of snow.
In Nebraska, Kilfoil Township west of Omaha, at an elevation of 2,644 feet, measured the top snowfall report in the state with 23.7 inches of snow. In Callaway, Nebraska, located west of Kilfoi, 23 inches of snow fell.
The heavy precipitation made for difficult driving conditions, so some folks found alternate ways to reach their destinations. Box Butte General Hospital in Alliance, Nebraska, which received 7 inches of snow, posted video of Chief Financial Officer Mike O'Dell biking to work after getting stuck in a snow pile.
Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin: 'Tricky travel conditions'
Parts of Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin could see 4 to 8 inches of snow Thursday. Gusty winds up to 35 mph will lead to instances of blowing snow, along with "near-whiteout conditions" during the heaviest snow, the weather service warned.
"Snow is causing tricky travel conditions statewide," the Minnesota Department of Transportation tweeted. "Slow down and give our crews room to work.''
In Wisconsin, the heaviest snow totals are expected to be 5 to 8 inches for the central and east-central parts of the state, as well as 5 to 8 inches in Green Bay and Fox Cities, the Appleton Post-Crescent, part of the USA TODAY Network, reports. Northern Door County could see up to 10 inches of snow.
Colorado digs out; some roads still closed
In Colorado, sections of I-70 remained closed Thursday after a pileup involving nine semi-trucks and 12 passenger vehicles on Wednesday shut down a 160-mile stretch of the interstate in both directions from Denver to the Kansas state line. Sections of the road have been closed for more than 16 hours, AccuWeather said.
Parts of Colorado received up to a foot of snow, and road closures remain scattered across the state Thursday. In Denver, Bryan Wilson dug himself out – and some neighbors as well.
“I just want people to get from point A to point B safely,” Wilson told Denver7-TV. “I can manage, but there are plenty of people who can’t and they’re basically trapped in their houses and their apartments until (the snow) does get cleared.”
String of California storms produced abundant snowpack
The series of atmospheric river storms that caused so much chaos in California over more than three weeks also brought some relief to the formerly parched state, even if it didn't end a drought now in its fourth year.
The Sierra snowpack, which supplies 30% of California's water, stands at 245% of its average for this date and at 126% of the traditional April 1 peak. All three sections of the Sierra – north, central and south – are registering above 200% of normal for the date, according to the state Department of Water Resources.
WHAT IS AN ATMOSPHERIC RIVER?These rivers of water vapor can extend thousands of miles.
In addition, the National Weather Service said the average rainfall for all of California in the 22-day stretch from Dec. 26 to Jan. 17 was nearly 11½ inches, with four locations getting more than 29 inches. Downtown San Francisco, which averages a little under 24 inches of rain a year, received 17 inches in that period.
After yet another significant storm drenched Northern California on Wednesday, the state's in line for a dry spell.
Tornado confirmed in Arkansas; more dangerous weather looms
Dangerous gusty winds will be possible Thursday across parts of Arkansas, where at least one tornado was confirmed Wednesday.
"Unsecured objects will be blown around, high profile vehicles will be a challenge to drive, and area lakes and rivers could become dangerous to navigate," the weather service said.
VIDEO:Winter storm to travel from Rockies to Midwest mid-week
New York, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont could see snow
Snow and some ice are expected to expand into the Northeast on Thursday and into Friday, according to the weather service.
Snow totals of 4-8 inches were forecast from Upstate New York east through Vermont, New Hampshire and coastal Maine late Thursday and into the day Friday. Locally higher totals over a foot are possible for higher elevations of the Green and White Mountains.
Some accumulating freezing rain is also possible, especially for the Catskills, Poconos, and Berkshires.
Contributing: Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY; The Associated Press