Triple threat: Intense lake-effect snow for Great Lakes, flash freeze and winter weather blast
A flash freeze will plunge temperatures as much as 10 degrees, setting up dangerous driving conditions for the evening commute across the Cleveland, Columbus, Pittsburgh and Buffalo metro areas. Meanwhile, snow will blanket West Virginia and the southern Appalachians.
Heavy snow for areas surrounding the Great Lakes as a winter system aims to bring heavy snow to the Appalachians.
A sprawling storm is sweeping in over the Midwest and areas of the Northeast, bringing surprise snow to the Chicago area. Winter Weather Alerts are in place across the regions as lake-effect snow is expected to fall on some areas around the Great Lakes.
CHICAGO, IL – Snow Squall Warnings were issued in Illinois late Wednesday morning as a line of intense storms brought whiteout conditions and travel delays to parts of Chicago and central Illinois.
The bursts come ahead of more than a foot of lake-effect snow that's forecast to begin south of Lake Michigan later this afternoon.
Snow squalls hit downtown Chicago
SNOW SQUALLS❄️⚠️: Visibility in downtown Chicago was reduced as quick bursts of snow blew through the area this morning. The Windy City is currently experiencing a system dumping heavy snow on the area, causing ground stops at major airports like O'Hare International.
Rain that's ongoing across the Ohio Valley will also transition to snow in the afternoon as a flash freeze plunges temperatures as much as 10 degrees, setting up dangerous driving conditions for the evening commute across the Cleveland, Columbus, Pittsburgh and Buffalo metro areas.
Meanwhile, snow will blanket West Virginia and the southern Appalachians later Wednesday, with more than a foot of snow possible at elevations above 4,000 feet in East Tennesee and western North Carolina.
Chicago's O’Hare International and Midway International airports reported quarter-mile visibility and wind gusts between 43 and 47 mph, while Milwaukee recorded a wind gust of 36 mph and up to 2 inches of snow accumulation.
AIRPORT GROUND STOPS VS. GROUND DELAYS: WHAT ARE THEY AND HOW DO THEY HAPPEN?
A ground delay was implemented at O'Hare until 7:00 p.m. local time.
More than 2 feet of snow possible south of Lake Michigan
A trifecta of forecast ingredients has kicked the lake-effect snow machine into high gear, as winds are perfectly aligned to tap into the abundant moisture over relatively warm waters of both Lake Superior and Lake Michigan.
EPIC LAKE-EFFECT SNOWSTORM PRODUCES RARE THUNDERSNOW IN NEW YORK, WATERSPOUTS ABOVE LAKE ERIE
Winter Storm Warnings are in effect for northwest Indiana and southwest Michigan downwind of Lake Michigan.
South Bend, Michigan City, Indiana, and Benton Harbor, Michigan, are all in what is expected to be the bulls-eye for the heaviest lake-effect snow.
The worst conditions are expected late Wednesday afternoon through mid-morning Thursday, where snowfall rates will range between 1 and 2 inches per hour in the heaviest lake-effect bands.
The National Weather Service Office in northern Indiana warned of whiteout and potentially life-threatening driving conditions, particularly on east-west oriented roads.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT BLOWING, DRIFTING SNOW
The FOX Forecast Center expects between 12 and 18 inches of snow in the areas where snow bands set up most persistently.
"If the band ends up remaining even more stationary than currently forecast, more than two feet of snow will be possible through Friday morning," the FOX Forecast Center said.
FILE - ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA, UNITED STATES - DECEMBER 2: An unforgiving lake-effect snow blankets the Great Lakes, disrupting daily life in New York and Pennsylvania, United States on December 02, 2024. (Photo by Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images) (Getty Images)
The lake-effect threat shifts to Ohio and western New York Thursday off the shores of Lakes Erie and Ontario.
Winter Storm Alerts issued for Appalachians
Meanwhile, snow will intensify Wednesday night across West Virginia’s Allegheny Mountains and the Blue Ridge Mountains of Tennessee and western North Carolina.
Snow is expected at elevations above 2,000 feet.
Up to a foot of snow is possible in places higher than 4,000 feet, before the storm tapers off beginning Thursday afternoon.