A winter storm warning stretching from the Southwest to Midwest was in effect Tuesday – impacting more than 17.7 million people as of Tuesday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.
Heavy snow was forecast in states across the central U.S. this week. With dropping temperatures, some areas also saw rainfall turn into snow early Tuesday.
Parts of central Indiana can expect up to 6 to 10 inches of snow Tuesday night into Wednesday afternoon, according to NWS Indianapolis. And northwest Arkansas could see 8 to 9 inches of snow through early Wednesday, NWS Little Rock said.
Winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories moved East throughout the day Tuesday and by 3 p.m. ET, weather the warnings remained in effect for parts of nine states:
- Texas
- Oklahoma
- Arkansas
- Missouri
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Ohio
- Michigan
- New York
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In addition, almost 41.6 million people from were under a winter weather advisory Tuesday afternoon, NWS said, and a winter storm watch spread across multiple states in the Northeast. High and dangerous winds, with threats of potential tornadoes, were also seen in the South.
Here’s what you need to know.
Snow forecast for Tuesday
In addition to Indiana and Arkansas, states across the U.S. were forecast to see snow Tuesday and in the coming days.
Winter storm watch extends into Northeast
Also on Tuesday, a winter storm watch extended into the Northeast U.S. – notably parts of Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.
As of Tuesday morning, more than 100,000 electric customers were without power in those states, the majority of which were in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts, according to tracker PowerOutage.us.
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Monday’s snowfall in Maine, New Hampshire; more to come Wednesday
Heavy snow already fallen in much of the Northeast, with storm totals exceeding over one foot of snow in some areas as of Monday.
Parts of Maine and New Hampshire saw snowfall totals ranging from 2 to 17 inches in the system that plowed through the region earlier this week, the NWS office in Portland, Maine reported Monday night.
Some areas could see an additional 6 inches or more in the coming days, the Portland NWS office said Tuesday, noting that precipitation will “gradually switch to rain from south to north by Thursday morning.”
NWS Boston also noted that more snowfall was expected across New England on Wednesday, with 4 to 6 inches expected in parts of northern Massachusetts for Wednesday into Thursday.
“This next storm will pack a ‘front end punch,’ with most accumulation occurring overnight,” NWS Boston said.
Winter weather leads to car crashes, deaths
Heavy snowfall has also led to dangerous travel conditions – and fatal car crashes.
In New Hampshire, state police said they had responded to 90 “crashes and vehicles that have gone off the road” between 5 a.m. and 2 p.m. ET on Monday. White out conditions and snow-covered roadways created “hazardous traveling conditions,” police said.
Amid Monday’s and Sunday’s winter weather, fatal car crashes have been reported.
- On Sunday evening, a 31-year-old Massachusetts man died in a wrong-way crash on I-290, Massachusetts State Police said.
- And in Rhode Island, a 25-year-old woman died in a I-95 crash early Monday, NBC Boston and the Boston Globe reported.
School closures, delays across the US
Schools around the country braced for snow and winter weather by closing schools or making plans to shut down early.
Oklahoma City Public Schools shifted to virtual classes at home, the school district said in a Facebook post. In Texas, districts including the El Paso Independent School District were starting classes late Tuesday because of poor weather conditions, including the possibility of snow flurries, local outlet KTSM reported.
Some school systems are planning for closures or delays later in the week. Some West Virginia and Ohio schools were considering a late start to school Wednesday because of forecast snow, according to WTRF in Wheeling, West Virginia.
– Nirvi Shah, USA TODAY
National winter weather forecast
