More than a million people were under blizzard or blizzard warnings early Tuesday in the northern and central Plains as heavy snow, freezing rain and strong winds created treacherous road conditions.
As of Tuesday morning, parts of Nebraska and South Dakota had reported up to four inches of snow, although strong winds prevented accurate readings, said Amanda Viken, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in North Platte, Neb. There were a few towns in southeastern South Dakota Up to a foot of snow has fallen since MondayAccording to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Up to four more inches of snow is expected in western South Dakota, western Nebraska, far eastern Wyoming and northeastern Colorado before the storm begins Tuesday night and tapers off into Wednesday. The National Weather Service said. In areas where snowfall has stopped or slowed, freezing temperatures and winds above 55 miles per hour will cause icy roads and whiteout conditions throughout the day, forecasters said.
“It's very slick and the visibility restrictions we're seeing with these strong winds don't help,” Ms Wicken said.
Snow showers and a blustery north wind swept across northwest Nebraska late Tuesday, leaving visibility less than a mile in some areas, the National Weather Service said. On social media.
Blizzard warning Affects more than 600,000 people Tuesday morning in parts of five states — Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming — will remain in effect until early Wednesday morning in part of the region, where up to six inches of snow will fall. The weather service said.
Storm is a Blizzard With heavy snowfall, wind gusts of 35 mph and visibility of less than a quarter mile for at least three hours.
More than half a million people were under blizzard warnings for the Dakotas and parts of western Minnesota early Tuesday. Snow and freezing rain are expected to blanket the Dakotas and northern Minnesota on Tuesday, bringing snow accumulations of more than half an inch and creating hazardous travel conditions, the weather service said.
As the storm moves out of the Plains, a wintry mix will arrive in parts of the Mississippi Valley on Wednesday.
Monday, South Dakota Department of Transportation said in a press release Conditions on snow and ice-covered roads were “approaching zero visibility,” prompting officials to close parts of Interstate 90 beginning Tuesday morning.
A crash involving several jackknife tractor-trailers forced the closure of a section of eastbound Interstate 80 near York, Neb., for about three hours Monday afternoon, the Nebraska State Patrol said. There were no injuries in the crash, which was caused in part by snow and slick road conditions, Nebraska State Patrol spokesman Cody Thomas said in a statement.
“Be safe and slow down if you're traveling today,” the Nebraska State Patrol said said on social media On Tuesday.
In Kansas, State Transport Authorities Interstate 70 was temporarily closed from Goodland in northwest Kansas to just west of the Colorado state line and the road was warned Tuesday morning that it was “partially closed or packed with snow.” Interstate 70 is available reopenedBut parts of other roads remain closed, according to traffic officials.
About 60 “weather-related incidents” occurred on Interstate 80 in Nebraska on Monday, Mr. Thomas said, mostly between Lincoln and North Platte.
Forecasters warned that strong winds, especially in South Dakota, could damage trees and cause power outages with the risk of downed power lines. As of early Tuesday, there were no reports of widespread power outages. According to PowerOutage.usIt monitors the utility sector.
The impact on air travel at the beginning of the storm appeared to be relatively moderate. About 80 Flights into, in or out of the US were canceled late in the morning on Tuesday FlightAware. Around 2,700 flights were delayed across the country.
Vacationers planning to hit the road Tuesday should be cautious on the road, said Matthew Meyers, a meteorologist with the Weather Service office in Sioux Falls, in the southeastern part of the state, where temperatures are expected to stay below freezing and much of the overnight rain was cold.
“They should take it very slowly if they can,” he said. “It's going to be smooth in there.”
Johnny Diaz, Eduardo Medina And Derrick Bryson Taylor Contributed report.
