Cross-country winter storm could crush Minneapolis snowfall record
A massive winter storm that will stretch 2,600 miles from coast to coast across the northern United States this week will unload heavy snow over the Upper Midwest while also spreading an icy mix from near the Iowa/Nebraska border to the northern New England coast, AccuWeather meteorologists warn.
The storm will move eastward along a temperature contrast zone with record-challenging warm air to the south and frigid air to the north across southern Canada that is associated with the polar vortex.
Winter storm warnings were in place from the Cascades in the Pacific Northwest and to much of the Rockies and as far to the east as Wisconsin on Tuesday. Blizzard warnings were in effect for parts of Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota and Minnesota.
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Major travel disruptions are expected as the storm with its cold air and heavy snow sprawls over a large part of the West into the middle of the week. The same storm will spread about 1-2 feet of snow from South Dakota to central Minnesota and the northern parts of Wisconsin and Michigan from Tuesday to Thursday. This includes the major metro area of Minneapolis and St. Paul.
In advance of the storm, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz declared a peacetime emergency Tuesday, requesting the Minnesota National Guard to assist with the rescue of stranded motorists and other emergencies.
"There is a high probability that Minneapolis will pick up 18 inches of snow or more from the storm," AccuWeather Meteorologist Matt Benz said. "The February record of 13.8 inches of snow from a single storm is likely to be smashed." In addition, the snowfall could rank among the all-time top storms for any month in the city's recorded history.
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Forecasters say there is the potential for Minneapolis - St. Paul International Airport to be shut down for a time during the storm. At the very least, numerous flight delays and cancellations are likely at the major hub.
"From about the Minneapolis metro area to parts of the Dakotas, blizzard conditions are in store with dangerous travel due to strong winds, heavy blowing and drifting snow," Benz said. "There is the risk of becoming stranded with a full-blown blizzard in open areas."
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Elsewhere across the region, parts of several key highways in the North Central states such as interstates 29, 35, 90 and 94 could be closed during the height of the storm due to the heavy snow. Meanwhile, in Wyoming, Interstate 80 was partially shut down Tuesday near the city of Rawlins due to blizzardlike conditions, and Interstate 25 was closed from the city Casper north to Buffalo, a distance of approximately 115 miles.
Farther south, the storm will produce an approximate 1,300-mile-long band of ice from near Omaha, Nebraska, to coastal New Hampshire. The icy and dangerous travel zone with the potential for significant damage to trees and power lines includes Milwaukee and Detroit, as well as the northern suburbs of Chicago and Boston.
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In portions of northern Illinois, the southern part of the lower peninsula of Michigan and the southern tier of New York, it is possible for a glaze of ice from 0.25 to 0.50 of an inch thick to build up on exposed surfaces. Such a heavy amount of ice could lead to widespread power outages.
Airline delays will be possible at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport on Wednesday due to the need for deicing operations. A substantial amount of ice could also force Detroit's Metro Airport to close for a time from Wednesday to early Thursday and trigger many flight delays and cancellations.
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Ripple-effect airline disruptions are likely across the country due to the number of aircraft and crews likely to be displaced because of the storm in Minneapolis and Detroit.
In the Northeast, the snow, ice and rain zones are likely to be more spread out to the north and south. In parts of northern Ohio and much of the central parts of Pennsylvania, the lower Hudson Valley of New York and central New England, icy areas may be limited to elevated surfaces, such as bridges, trees and vehicles.
East of the Great Lakes, the heaviest snow will fall on the northern parts of Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, where 12-18 inches is forecast to fall. A general 6-12 inches of snow is in store for much of coastal Maine and far Upstate New York.
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Meanwhile, in the storm's warm sector, showers may be accompanied by thunder and lightning from the Ozarks and Ohio Valley to the central Appalachians and mid-Atlantic regions. In Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri, a few storms may even turn severe on Wednesday.
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Rain is in store for New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. and Pittsburgh from the storm, as well as in Cincinnati and St. Louis in the Midwest.
Looking ahead, additional rounds of snow and ice are likely over the Upper Midwest and the northern third of the Northeast during the latter part of February and into March, according to AccuWeather's team of long-range forecasters.
Meanwhile, what is likely to evolve into the biggest storm of the winter for Southern California will strike from Thursday to Saturday with torrential rain, road-clogging snow in the mountains and widespread travel disruption for Los Angeles and San Diego.
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