A major winter storm is expected to blanket a large swath of the middle of the country with snow Monday and disrupt travel as more than a foot of snow falls in some areas.
The Midwest snowfall was predicted to stretch from central Kansas northeast to Chicago and southern Michigan through the day, with some of the heaviest snow expected to fall in southeast Nebraska and western Iowa. Much of the rest of the area will receive at least 4 inches (10.2 centimeters) of snow.
National Weather Service meteorologist Taylor Nicolaisen said 10 to 15 inches (25.4 to 38.1 centimeters) of snow is likely between Lincoln, Nebraska, and Des Moines, Iowa, and it has been 15-20 years since most of that area received more than a foot of snow from a single storm.
In this Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021, photo provided by the California Highway Patrol-West Valley, authorities work the scene of an accident after a hail storm on Malibu Canyon Road in Malibu, Calif. A hail storm struck the Santa Monica Mountains on Saturday, prompting the California Highway Patrol to warn drivers to slow down after officers responded to a few rollover accidents on Malibu Canyon. Up to a foot of snow fell in Southern California's mountains as the first in a series of storms move through California, bringing real winter weather after weeks of sporadic rain that has done little to ease drought. (California Highway Patrol via AP)
“This is a historic snow,” said Nicolaisen, who is based near Omaha, Nebraska. “It has been a long time since we have seen somebody get a foot of snow in one storm. And we’re very confident that some people will see a foot of snow.”
Officials are urging people to stay off the roads during the storm, especially when the heaviest snow is expected in the afternoon and evening. Road conditions will worsen throughout Monday.
Elsewhere in the U.S., a storm moving across the Southwest on Monday and Tuesday will bring gusty winds and snowfall, the weather service said. Over the weekend, up to a foot of snow fell in Southern California’s mountains ahead of what was predicted to be a stronger storm.
In this Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021, photo provided by the California Highway Patrol-West Valley, authorities work the scene of an accident after a hail storm on Malibu Canyon Road in Malibu, Calif. A hail storm struck the Santa Monica Mountains on Saturday, prompting the California Highway Patrol to warn drivers to slow down after officers responded to a few rollover accidents on Malibu Canyon. Up to a foot of snow fell in Southern California's mountains as the first in a series of storms move through California, bringing real winter weather after weeks of sporadic rain that has done little to ease drought. (California Highway Patrol via AP)