Midwest braces for winter storm today. Here's how much snow will fall and when, according to weather forecasts
A major winter storm system is set to bring snow and freezing weather to much of the country.
Every single state in the country is under a weather warning or advisory as of Friday morning, and the expected frigid weather will set records in dozens of cities.
Here's what to expect.
How many inches of snow are major cities getting today?
The most alarming storm is a developing blizzard in Iowa. A blizzard warning will take effect at 10 a.m. Central Time and run until early Saturday morning. According to the warning, the state will see between 4 and 8 inches of snow. Conditions are expected to deteriorate in the afternoon and evening hours, but temperatures are already in the teens and wind chills will be well below zero throughout the day.
Cities including Des Moines, Iowa, Green Bay, Wisconsin, and Sioux Falls, South Dakota, are under blizzard warnings.
Winter storm warnings for heavy snow and strong winds are also active in the Midwest and Great Lakes. Chicago is expected to receive between 4 and 6 inches of snow on Lake Michigan and over a foot in some northwestern suburbs. There could be a period of sleet as well, and frigid weather at the end of the storm will result in frozen conditions.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin is estimated to see between 5 and 12 inches of snow.
East of Chicago, Michigan will see accumulations of at least a foot in some areas because of a weather phenomenon called lake effect snow. In Grand Rapids, there may be between 6 and 12 inches of snow.
What is the winter storm's path?
Much of the snow is expected to stop overnight, but be followed by brutal cold in much of the country.
The freezing weather will stretch from Oregon to Nebraska on Saturday. In the Midwest, temperatures will be frigid through the weekend, with Montana seeing lows of -41 degrees Fahrenheit, with wind chill making it feel like -60. Even during the day, temperatures in the state could be as cold as -20.
On Sunday, the cold weather will range from Montana to Texas, and on Monday, the freezing temperatures will set records in more than 50 cities. Dallas, Texas will be just 11 degrees, and Sioux City, Iowa may see an air temperature of -20 degrees. As the week goes on, the cold weather will push further south and east, reaching as far as Birmingham, Alabama.
How long will the winter storm last?
The snow will stop falling by Saturday morning, but the brutal cold will not let up until the end of next week.
What other bad weather can be expected?
It's not just the winter storm that some parts of the country have to worry about. Parts of Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi remain under a tornado watch through Friday morning. That warning will continue into Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina as the weather pattern weakens.
The Northeast is in for another round of heavy rain as temperatures remain in the 50s. It's a threat for the area, since the ground remains saturated after rain earlier this week dumped several inches of rain on the region. The heaviest rain will take place Friday night into Saturday morning, and there will be gusts of wind at least as high as 40 miles per hour. The region will then see some cold air on Sunday, with the best chances of a snow accumulation in New York City and Washington, D.C. on Wednesday.
David Parkinson contributed reporting.