About 34 million people are under winter alerts from California to Maine, with Minneapolis bracing for its biggest snowstorm in more than a decade and potentially life-threatening travel conditions.
Blizzard warnings have been issued for parts of the Rockies, the northern Plains and the Upper Midwest. St. Cloud, Minnesota, was already under one.
Forecasters cautioned that Minneapolis could be added to the blizzard warnings later Tuesday, which would be rare for the historically snowy city.
“Due to obstructions, it is hard to get blizzard conditions in major metropolitan areas such as the Twin Cities, but with the actively falling snow and strong winds, this would be an event that could do so,” the National Weather Service in Twin Cities said in its Tuesday morning forecast.
The storm will feature two rounds of snow totaling 1 to 2 feet by the time the system wraps up Thursday.
Timeline of snow
The first round of snow will start around lunchtime Tuesday across the region, with 5 to 7 inches (locally higher of 8 to 9 inches) possible through the night. Winds are expected to be in the 10-15 mph range.
A lull is expected Wednesday from 6 a.m. to noon local time. Light snow could still be falling, but some locations along Interstate 90 could see a break in the snow completely.
The second round of snow is expected to begin around noon Thursday, adding 10 to 15 inches to snowfall totals and producing 45-50 mph wind gusts at times.
By the time that round ends, a large area of southern Minnesota will have over a foot of snow, with some areas picking up nearly 2 feet.
Rapid City is forecast to get 8 to 14 inches and Marquette could see 12 to 18 inches.
Should the current forecast of 18 to 25 inches of snow come to fruition for Minneapolis, it will be the city’s biggest snowstorm in 12 years, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
Travel will be impacted
Heavy snow falling at 1 to 2 inches per hour combined with strong wind gusts will make travel impossible…
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