A winter storm warning stretching from the Southwest to the Midwest was in effect Tuesday — affecting more than 17.7 million people as of Tuesday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.
Heavy snow was forecast for states in the central US this week. With temperatures dropping, some areas also saw precipitation turn to 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 eastward throughout the day Tuesday and at 15 ET, weather warnings remained in effect for parts of nine states:
- Texas
- Oklahoma
- Arkansas
- Missouri
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Ohio
- Michigan
- New York
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Besides, nearly 41.6 million people from were under a winter weather advisory Tuesday afternoon, the NWS said, and a winter storm watch spread across several 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, snow was forecast in states across the United States on Tuesday and in the coming days.
Winter storm watch extends into Northeast
Also on Tuesday, a winter storm watch extended into the northeastern United States – particularly 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 has already fallen across much of the Northeast, with storm totals exceeding more than a foot of snow in some areas as of Monday.
Parts of Maine and New Hampshire saw snowfall totals 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 another 6 inches or more in the coming days, Portland NWS office said Tuesdayand notes that precipitation “will gradually change to rain from south to north Thursday morning.”
NWS Boston also noted that more snowfall was expected across New England Wednesday, with 4 to 6 inches expected in parts of northern Massachusetts from Wednesday through Thursday.
“This next storm will pack a ‘front-end punch’ with most accumulation occurring overnight,” NWS Boston said.
Winter weather leads to car accidents, deaths
Heavy snowfalls have also led to dangerous travel conditions – and fatal car accidents.
In New Hampshire, states the state police they had responded to 90 “accidents and vehicles left the road” between 5 and 2 PM ET Monday. White conditions and snowy roads created “dangerous travel conditions” said the police.
In the middle of Monday and Sunday’s winter weather, fatal car accidents have been reported.
- Sunday evening, a 31-year-old Massachusetts man died in a crash on I-290, Massachusetts State Police said.
- And in Rhode Island, a 25-year-old woman died in an I-95 crash early Monday, NBC Boston and the Boston Globe reported.
School closings, delays across the US
Schools around the country prepared for snow and winter weather by closing schools or making plans to close early.
Oklahoma City Public Schools switched to virtual classes at home, the school district said in a Facebook post. In Texas, districts including the El Paso Independent School District started classes late Tuesday due to poor weather conditions, including the possibility of snow showers, local outlet KTSM reported.
Some school systems are planning closures or delays later this week. Some schools in West Virginia and Ohio were considering a late school start Wednesday because of expected snow, according to WTRF in Wheeling, West Virginia.
– Nirvi Shah, USA TODAY
National Winter Weather Forecast
