Winter Weather Wreaking Havoc Across Central U.S. and Beyond

Millions of Americans in the central U.S. woke up to a winter wonderland on Sunday as a major winter storm dumps heavy snow and spreads ice from the Plains and across the Midwest. The storm will eventually make its way to the mid-Atlantic to start the new work week. Here is a look at this far-reaching weather maker.

Major Winter Storm Unleashing Across Central U.S.

Travel will be disrupted across multiple states as the year's first major winter storm roars across much of the U.S. In addition to the heavy snow, the ice associated with this storm will be significant enough to damage trees and bring down power lines.

The storm fired up on Saturday across the central Plains states. Residents of Kansas City were going about their Saturday when ice began to fall, stranding motorists and creating havoc around the metro area. Kansas City International Airport was closed for a time on Saturday as the weather quickly deteriorated.

Cities such as Wichita in the south-central portion of Kansas also began to experience the rapid onset of icy conditions on Saturday. The day dawned on Sunday in this part of the region with a mix of freezing rain, sleet, snow, and even a few rumbles of thunder.

A number of winter weather alerts are in effect for portions of the central Plains. The state of Kansas continues to be hit particularly hard by this storm. Blizzard warnings have been issued for the Kansas City metro area, Wichita, and Topeka. The high winds will pair with the snow to limit visibility and trigger whiteout conditions at times through early Monday.

Winter storm warnings are also in effect for a zone from the middle Mississippi and Ohio valleys and over to the mid-Atlantic. Cities included in these winter weather warnings include St. Louis, Cincinnati, Louisville, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C.

Meanwhile, an ice storm warning has been issued for parts of southern Missouri over into southern Illinois and western Kentucky. The thick glaze of ice already developing in this part of the nation's heartland could knock out power for days. The timing of these power outages will coincide with the coldest temperatures of the season thus far.

Timing of the Impacts

The heavy snow will continue to fall through the central Plains and into the Ohio and Tennessee valleys on Sunday. This line of snow will likely reach parts of West Virginia by the overnight hours. The worst conditions will continue to be centered on the area from northeastern Oklahoma and southeastern Kansas and over into the mid-Mississippi Valley, the Ohio Valley, and the Appalachians.

Winds will whip around at speeds of up to 50 mph in this zone. Wind speeds of this magnitude will limit visibility on the roadways.

Motorists are begin advised to stay home in a number of major metro areas, including Kansas City, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Louisville, and Cincinnati. By the time that the sun goes down on Sunday, the wintry impacts will have expanded as far to the east as the mid-Atlantic states.

The movement of this storm will present the likelihood of a messy Monday morning commute for Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. The snow will also snarl travel across some parts of the Ohio Valley and into Appalachia.

Looking ahead to late Monday, the snow will and ice will begin to taper off from west to east. This will allow road crews to make some progress in removing the wintry precipitation. However, travel could still be dicey in the hardest-hit areas for the Tuesday morning commute.

Specific City Forecasts

Now let's take a look at some of the specific city forecasts. Kansas City was the first major metro area to see the impacts of this storm and will continue to be in the bullseye of its wrath. The city is under a blizzard warning until Monday at 3 am local time. Snow accumulations of 6 to 14 inches will pair with freezing rain to create treacherous driving conditions. Winds will be out of the north at 10 to 20 mph with higher gusts possible.

The snow will exit the Kansas City area by the evening and overnight hours on Sunday. While Monday will feature drier conditions under partly cloudy skies, the bitterly cold temperatures will remain firmly entrenched. The forecast is calling for a high of just 16 degrees with lows that fall a few notches below the zero-degree mark in Kansas City.

Moving farther to the east along Interstate 70, St. Louis is under a winter storm warning until 6 am Monday. This city on the border of Missouri and Illinois is forecast to see snowfall of 1 to 3 inches on Sunday with an additional 3 to 5 inches on tap for the overnight hours into Monday. Winds out of the northeast at 10 to 20 mph during the day will pick up to speeds of 20 to 30 mph overnight. The Arctic air will also infiltrate this region with a high in the mid 20s on both Sunday and Monday. Overnight lows of about 20 degrees on Sunday will slip even lower on Monday, landing at about 7 degrees.

Indianapolis will also take it on the chin with this winter storm. The metro area is anticipating 3 to 5 inches of accumulation on Sunday, another 3 to 5 inches overnight and into early Monday, and lingering snow flurries throughout the start of the new work week. Like the rest of the region, winds will pick up late Sunday, hitting speeds of 15 to 25 mph after the sun goes down. Highs will top out in the mid 20s on Sunday and Monday with the mercury dipping even lower for the balance of the week.

The snow will take longer to arrive to the east in Pittsburgh. The Steel City is expecting the flakes to begin to fly overnight Sunday, sending about an inch of accumulation over the area before the sun comes up. Monday's forecast is calling for 1 to 3 inches of snow. Highs will reach 27 degrees before falling to about the 20-degree mark overnight. The winds will also tick up on Monday, reaching speeds of 10 to 15 mph out of the north-northeast.

Washington, D.C. is bracing for a major snow event with 3 to 5 inches overnight Sunday and another 1 to 3 inches in store for Monday. After an overnight low in the mid 20s on Sunday, the mercury will struggle to break the 30-degree mark the next day. The wintry precipitation will dissipate after the sun goes down Monday in the nation's capital.

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