More than 40 million Americans have been placed under an alert ahead of a huge winter storm which is set to barrel across the country and dump up to two feet of snow in some parts.
Treacherous conditions are forecast through Monday, with meteorologists warning of the potential of a ‘bomb cyclone’ as a cold arctic front from clashes with warmer air.
Blizzard warnings are in effect from North Dakota down to southern Minnesota and Iowa, with three to eight inches of snow and gusts up to 45mph expected.
‘We are anticipating some pretty big snows over the next 24 hours, especially across east central Minnesota to northern Wisconsin to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan,’ NWS Lead Forecaster Bob Oravec told NPR on Sunday.
The conditions are likely to create a whiteout and near-zero visibility in the affected areas sparking fears of further travel chaos.
Travel disruptions are predicted to run into tomorrow at least as the new stormfront makes its way east.
As of early Sunday afternoon, there were 268 delays and 66 cancellations in and out of Minneapolis St Paul International Airport, where an airport weather warning was put into effect.
At Detroit Metro Airport, there have been fewer cancellations and delays, at 25 and 150 respectively, but those numbers are likely to increase by Sunday night as the storm makes it to the city.
The heaviest snowfall is forecasted in the Midwest, where Minneapolis could experience between five and eight inches of snow.
A winter storm set to blow through the Midwest to the Northeast has put more than 40 million people on alert and is expected to drop up to two feet of snow in some areas
The conditions are likely to create a whiteout and near-zero visibility in the affected areas through Monday morning
Much of the Northeast is still feeling the impact from a previous storm which hit just after Christmas and blanketed parts of New England in almost a foot of snow.
Forecasters warned that a ‘bomb cyclone’ could develop as the residual cold front slams into warmer air. The phenomenon, also known as bombogenesis, is caused when an area of low pressure emerges quickly, bringing harsh weather.
Winter Weather Advisories for freezing rain are in effect from Scranton, Pennsylvania, as far north as Burlington, Vermont, and as far east as Portland, Maine.
Up to 1.5 inches of rainfall is expected in western New York in Buffalo and Jamestown, where a flood watch has been issued.
It comes after much of the west of the country remained on high alert for more floods and landslides following historic rainfall across California.
Snowfall in Fargo, North Dakota, already began early on Sunday.
Heavy snow was forecast to hit Minneapolis by noon and is expected to make it to eastern Wisconsin by the afternoon, at which point heavy rain is also expected in Detroit and southern Michigan.
Low visibility in Minneapolis and nearby parts of I-45 and I-90 are expected by early Sunday evening.
Heavy rain and gusty winds are also expected to reach Buffalo, New York, by the evening.
The incoming winter storm comes just days after another one battered the Northeast and caused major travel disruptions during one of the busiest travel weekends of the year
Snowy and windy conditions in Michigan are forecast to remain until about 7am Monday, after which warmer air moving across the Northeast is expected to turn the snowfall to rain.
Higher elevation areas of New England, as well as most of Maine, are set to be hit hardest by snowfall in the Northeast.
The worst of the storm should clear up by Monday night, but lake-effect snow is expected to take place around the Eastern Great Lakes and interior Northeast through Tuesday and possibly into Wednesday.
The incoming winter storm comes just days after another one swept through the Northeast and dumped snow from north-central New Jersey through New York City and into southern Connecticut.
New York City experienced four inches of snowfall, a little less than half of what was predicted. Other parts of the state had six to ten inches of snowfall.
According to flight-tracking service FlightAware, at least 1,500 flights in New York City were cancelled on Friday, and an additional 9,000 domestic US flights were cancelled or delayed on Saturday, with many in the New York area.
At least 1,500 flights in New York City were cancelled on Friday, and an additional 9,000 domestic US flights were cancelled or delayed on Saturday. Pictured: Departures from New York’s LaGuardia airport on December 26
Disruptions are set to continue through Monday as the new stormfront makes its way east. Delays and cancellations are already taking place in Minneapolis (stock image)
The storm caused Acting New Jersey Governor Tahesha Way to declare a state emergency for the whole state.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency for more than half of the state.
The flight cancellations caused major disruption during one of the busiest travel weekends of the year.
