Blizzard warnings were in effect in parts of the upper Midwest on Tuesday and residents from Bismark, N.D., to Marquette, Mich., were bracing for heavy snow that may snarl their Thanksgiving plans through Thursday.
A storm system churning across the region had already delivered rain and snow across northeast South Dakota and portions of Minnesota, the National Weather Service said, and heavier bands of snow were predicted for the evening hours as the system moves across Minnesota and northern Wisconsin.
While winter storms in this area are not unusual, the amount of snow predicted to fall in 36 hours is comparable to an amount that would usually fall over several days.
Snow could fall at a rate of more than an inch per hour, the Weather Service said, making travel especially treacherous. Hurley, Wis., a small city near the shore of Lake Superior about 100 miles east of Duluth, Minn., is in the “biggest bull’s-eye,” said Ketzel Levens, a meteorologist with the Weather Service in Duluth. The forecast is predicting some of the highest snowfall amounts in the last decade for a two-day period, Ms. Levens said.
In parts of South Dakota, early morning rain on Tuesday turned into heavy, wet snow with strong winds, with peak gusts of up to 69 miles per hour recorded in Frederick, S.D. The Weather Service said that up to seven inches of snow is expected in some areas across South Dakota, with forecasters warning of slushy roads and dangerous driving conditions through Wednesday morning.
Blizzard conditions were also predicted in Minnesota, where the storm has pushed some schools to close early. The Weather Service said up to an inch of snow per hour would hit certain areas, with the heaviest totals expected in northern and central Minnesota. Blizzard conditions could reduce visibility to a quarter mile or less, the Weather Service said.
Some of the highest snowfall totals are expected around the Great Lakes, particularly along the South Shore of Lake Superior, where the lake effect and the terrain give the system an extra boost. “That’s where we see the bull’s-eyes on the heaviest amounts of snow,” Ms. Levens said.
Up to 30 inches of snow could fall across parts of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, the Weather Service said.
The snow is among the most severe weather expected across the United States this week as tens of millions of people travel for the Thanksgiving holiday, about 73 million of them, or nearly 90 percent, by car, AAA said.
Heavy snow is also expected to the south of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, in a region stretching from northern Ohio to northern New York. And in the Southeast, another storm is expected to move out of eastern Texas, drawing in moisture from the Gulf that will set off rounds of showers and thunderstorms. Downpours are expected over areas of Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and the Carolinas through Wednesday night.
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