A severe winter storm with millions of Americans in its path dumped a mix of rain, freezing rain and snow across the central United States, as airlines canceled thousands of flights, authorities told people to stay off the road and Schools closed their campuses.
The severe weather began Tuesday night and continued into Friday, leaving a long list of states, from New Mexico to Colorado and Maine, under storm watches and warnings. Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan all had freezing rain, hail and snow on Wednesday morning.
As of midday Wednesday, some places had already topped or approached 1 foot (30 centimeters) of snow, including the central Illinois town of Lewistown with 14.4 inches (36.6 centimeters) and Hannibal , in northeastern Missouri, at 29.2 cm (11.5 in).
“And it’s still snowing in those areas,” said Andrew Orrison, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland.
Central Illinois and northern Indiana appeared on track for the heaviest snowfall of 12 to 18 inches (30 to 45 cm) by Thursday night, Orrison said.
The snow had begun to dissipate in Missouri by early Wednesday afternoon, but much of the state could end up with 8 inches to a foot of snow. Parts of Michigan could also reach foot of snow by Thursday.
In Chicago, Elisha Waldman and her children celebrated the chance to go sledding Wednesday morning, even though it was still snowing.
“Cold and wet and wonderful, and getting cold and wet is part of the fun with the kids, and we can go inside and have hot chocolate and get warm,” Waldman said.
But for those on the road, the severe storm created dangerous conditions.
“We’re getting a lot of snow here in northwest Indiana, and it’s the wet, slippery snow that causes treacherous driving conditions, to say the least,” Indiana State Police Sgt. Glen Fifield told WFLD-TV.
In central Missouri, authorities closed part of Interstate 70 at noon after an accident blocked traffic.
Areas south of the snowfall were expected to see freezing rain, especially in the lower Ohio Valley from Louisville, Kentucky, to Memphis, Tennessee.
The storm was passing through the central United States on Groundhog Day, the same day that famed groundhog Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of winter. The storm was following another system last weekend that brought blizzards to many places on the East Coast.
Snow accumulated 22 inches (56 cm) in Colorado Springs, and up to 10 inches (25 cm) in the Denver area, with more snow expected. Universities, state offices and the legislature closed.
Airlines canceled nearly 8,000 flights in the United States scheduled for Wednesday or Thursday, according to flight-tracking service FlightAware.com. Airports in St. Louis, Chicago, Kansas City and Detroit canceled more flights than normal. At the Dallas-Fort Worth airport alone, 700 flights were canceled Thursday, and nearby Dallas Love Field canceled more than 300.
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