Hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. were told not to travel on Wednesday morning amid a potent winter storm spawning dangerous blizzards in parts of the Northern Plains and Midwest.
Blizzard warnings issued by the National Weather Service (NWS) on Wednesday morning have placed parts of the Midwest and Northern Plains under severe travel restrictions, with officials urging residents to stay off the roads unless facing true emergencies. The warnings come as a powerful winter system intensifies, bringing whiteout conditions, dangerous wind gusts, and rapidly deteriorating visibility to the region.Forecasters say the storm is part of a broader pattern of extreme weather sweeping the Western and central U.S., with hazardous winds already topping 70 mph in nearby states as the system pushes eastward. Heavy snow is accumulating across numerous states, including California.
“When this pattern finally wraps up late next week, parts of the Sierra Nevada will end up with 12-16 feet of snow,” AccuWeather chief on-air meteorologist Bernie Rayno told Newsweek.
On Wednesday morning, NWS meteorologists in northeastern Montana, northern South Dakota, and eastern Minnesota issued blizzard warnings for their forecast regions.
Montana Blizzard Warning
NWS meteorologists in Glasgow, Montana, issued the blizzard warning at 5:49 a.m. local time Wednesday morning. It remains in effect for Daniels, Eastern Roosevelt, and Sheridan Counties, including the cities of Culbertson, Scobey, Medicine Lake, and Plentywood, until 5 p.m. Wednesday evening.
Additional snowfall up to an inch could fall, and winds gusting as high as 50 mph will create near-zero visibility and whiteout conditions.
“Travel should be restricted to emergencies only. If you must travel, have a winter survival kit with you. If you get stranded, stay with your vehicle,” the warning said.
South Dakota Blizzard Warning
The NWS office in Aberdeen, South Dakota, issued a blizzard warning at 7:52 a.m. local time Wednesday morning for Campbell, McPherson, Brown, Walworth, Edmunds, Faulk, Spink, Clark and Day counties, including the cities of Faulkton, Eureka, Redfield, Herreid, Ipswich, Aberdeen, Clark, Mobridge, and Webster. It will remain in effect until 3 p.m. Wednesday.
Up to 3 inches of additional snowfall is expected, with winds gusting up to 60 mph.
“Plan on slippery road conditions. Whiteout conditions will make travel extremely dangerous or impossible,” the warning said. “The hazardous conditions could impact the Wednesday morning commute. Strong winds could cause tree damage.”
Minnesota Blizzard Warning
A blizzard warning also was issued by the NWS office in Duluth at 11:08 p.m. local time Tuesday night. It encompasses Carlton, St. Louis, Lake, and Cook counties, including the cities of Duluth, Silver Bay, Grand Marais, and Two Harbors.
The warning will remain in effect until noon on Thursday. Up to 24 inches of snow is expected, with winds gusting as high as 60 mph.
“Do not travel unless you must due to emergencies only,” the warning said. “If you must travel, especially along Highway 61 on the North Shore, have a winter survival kit with you.”
Power outages also were possible because of the wind.
Winter Storm Warnings Remain in Place
The Western U.S. continues to get walloped by back-to-back winter storms, prompting continued winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories, among other alerts, from California and the Pacific Northwest through the Intermountain West. Winter storm impacts have started to move eastward, sweeping across the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest on Wednesday morning.
People residing in the impacted areas are urged to follow the advice from their local forecasting offices until the storms exit the region.
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