Winter Storm Continues To Drop Snow In Minneapolis
A major winter storm is bringing blizzard conditions, record snow, high winds and dangerous travel conditions to parts of the upper Midwest and Great Lakes, then will deliver a blast of winds and cold air to much of the East and South.
This weekend storm has been named Winter Storm Iona by The Weather Channel.
Snowfall has been falling at the rate of 1 to 3 inches per hour across portions of Wisconsin and Michigan. More than 20 inches has already fallen from southern Minnesota to central Wisconsin. Snowfall in Marinette, Wisconsin has reached 28 inches.
Straight out of the textbook for wild swings in March weather, this winter reality check will follow on the heels of a severe weather outbreak and spell of record warmth in the central and eastern U.S. that will now intensify into a record March heat wave in the Southwest.
(MORE: March Is A Frustrating Weather Month)
NOAA’s Winter Storm Severity Impact Forecast For Winter Storm Iona
Weekend Blizzard
Here’s where the heaviest snow is falling now:
Alerts
Below are the latest winter weather alerts:
Below are the high wind alerts. These winds could spark new fires and expand ongoing fires.
Timing
By Monday, the strong low will shove the cold front rapidly into the East. Snowfall behind the low is possible for some of the places that just saw storms Sunday night.
(MAPS: 7-Day US Snow, Rain Forecast)
Precipitation may change from rain to a quick burst of snow in the Ohio Valley and Appalachians. Along much of the East Coast, this will be a rain event, with strong to severe thunderstorms packing damaging winds possible from parts of the Northeast to the Carolinas.
(MORE: Severe Thunderstorms Forecast From The Mid-Mississippi Valley To The East)
Strong winds are expected to persist in much of the Midwest and East into Monday, with power outages possible, especially near the Great Lakes and along the immediate East Coast.
How Much Snow
In parts of the upper Midwest, this could be a record-setting snowstorm.
From parts of southern Minnesota into central and northern Wisconsin, far northern Lower Michigan and Upper Michigan, over a foot of snow is expected. In fact, some of these areas may see 1 to 3 feet of snow from this storm. That could include Green Bay, Marquette and Mackinac Island. A spot or two could see 4 feet of snow in northern Michigan.
And Marquette has seen over 214 inches of snow since October 1, which is a top 5 snowiest October 1 to March 14.
Snow could fall at the rate of 1 to 3 inches per hour through early Monday, accompanied by strong winds. This could lead to extremely dangerous, if not impossible, travel conditions. If you plan to travel in this timeframe in the western Great Lakes and upper Midwest, you should consider either delaying or canceling those plans.
If that wasn’t enough, there also could be a band of freezing rain and sleet for a time from parts of extreme northern Iowa and southern Minnesota into southern Wisconsin and Lower Michigan Sunday, before changing to rain, then back to snow. This could lead to some ice accumulations that could make roads slippery.
These strong winds, heavy snow and some ice accumulations could also lead to tree damage and power outages that could become widespread.
We don’t expect significant snowfall in the Northeast from this winter storm. Rain will be the dominant precipitation type and dry air aloft should minimize any wrap-around snow chances.
(MORE: 6 Things To Know About Snow Forecasts)
Cold, For A While
Forecast Low-lights
That weekend blizzard will pull down a fresh supply of cold air from Canada beginning this weekend that will have staying power into St. Patrick’s week.
Sunday, that cold is nosediving southward into the Plains. Monday, that cold air will have reached the northern Gulf Coast. Tuesday, that cold air will have swept through the East, including Florida.
Monday, highs will be stuck in the teens, 20s and 30s in much of the Midwest. St. Patrick’s Day will be in the 20s and 30s in most of the Northeast and Midwest, while the Southeast shivers in the 40s and 50s, for the most part.
Some subzero lows are possible in parts of North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula Monday and Tuesday. Much of the Deep South, including parts of far northern Florida, is forecast to dip below the freezing mark Tuesday and Wednesday morning.
Some daily record lows and cold highs could be threatened, especially in the Deep South, where a frost could make it as far south as Mobile, Alabama, and New Orleans. Highs struggling to reach 60 degrees in central Florida could be their coldest St. Patrick’s Day highs on record.
(MAPS: 10-Day US Forecast Highs/Lows)
How Long Will It Last?
If you’ve had enough of winter weather, especially following the recent warmth, we do have some good news.
Warmer air should work its way eastward in the Plains by the middle of the upcoming week, then may ooze farther east later next week.
However, some longer-range models are suggesting some chillier air may spill back into parts of the Midwest and Northeast by the weekend of March 21 and 22, or that following week.
Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him on Bluesky, X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.
