A monstrous blizzard bomb cyclone is rapidly intensifying and will unleash extreme feet of snow and vicious wind gusts throughout the Midwest and Great Lakes as winter isn’t over just yet.
The blizzard will drop feet of snow and create long-lasting impacts into the start of this week, grinding travel at major Midwest hubs to a halt as the storm creates impossible conditions.
High winds will likely knock out power, just days after a major windstorm occurred, knocking out power to over 1 million Americans.
Snow is already falling across portions of the Northern Tier and the storm will charge east into the Great Lakes by later today.
Millions across the Northern Tier are under Winter Weather Alerts, from Montana through Michigan. Winter Storm Watches have been issued across much of the western Great Lakes, while areas in Minnesota, Wisconsin, South Dakota and Montana are already under Winter Storm Warnings.
Blizzard Warnings were issued for over 11 million Americans, including parts of South Dakota, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa, Montana and Michigan.
Marquette, Michigan is expected to get pounded with up to 4 feet of snow, while other major cities like Minneapolis and Green Bay will see over a foot, potentially even two feet.
By Friday, flights were already proactively canceled in the Midwest in anticipation of the powerful storm that will cause thousands more cancellations and delays through Monday.
The dangerous combination of snow and strong winds will cause reduced visibilities across Wisconsin, Minnesota and the U.P. of Michigan.
Snow totals will be the highest closer to the Great Lakes where feet of snow is possible.
The bomb cyclone will usher in a sharp cut-off of who sees snow versus ice as a wintry mix may also be possible south of the heaviest bands of snow.
Just south of this heaviest snow, a wintry mix could deliver freezing rain and sleet impacting Milwaukee and south of the I-94 corridor, setting the stage for significant travel disruptions and dangerous road conditions.
Wind gusts are forecast to reach as high as 60-70 mph near the center of the storm.
Behind the system, colder air will settle in, meaning any snow that falls will likely remain on the ground for at least several days.
“We could see feet of snow. That is a lot of snow in areas that definitely do not need it. They’ve already gotten plenty of snow this winter,” FOX Weather Meteorologist Bayne Froney said.
COLD AIR SETTLES IN
Behind this system, a blast of cold air will settle, inviting any snow that falls to stick around.
Cold air surges back into the Plains and Midwest starting Monday, sending afternoon highs 15–25 degrees below average from the Canadian border all the way to the Texas–Mexico border. Highs will struggle to reach the teens and 20s in the Midwest, with 40s and 50s across the Mid-South.
By early Tuesday, bitter wind chills will drop into the negative single digits and teens in cities like Minneapolis and Green Bay, while places such as Oklahoma City and Atlanta see wind chills in the teens and 20s. A few record lows are possible across parts of the Deep South.