Great Lakes storm drawing a blast of cold

An intense storm that unleashed howling winds and heavy snow from the Pacific Northwest to the Upper Midwest over the weekend is plowing eastward. It’s next set to bring tumbling temperatures to much of the eastern United States and a blast of windwhipped snow downwind of the Great Lakes.

The storm is displacing a sprawling zone of high pressure that was responsible for record-breaking warmth in many areas last week. As it passes, it is bringing a stark pattern change to the middle and eastern United States, drawing a brief surge of cold air southward, with temperatures plummeting at least 20 to 30 degrees.

The storm has delivered several inches of snow from Washington’s Cascade Mountains to the northern tip of Michigan. While confined to the northernmost states, the storm has left behind a sizable stripe of accumulation in a season that has otherwise produced very little snow in the contiguous United States.

Moisture-rich winds blowing from Lake Superior toward the storm’s circulation greatly intensified snowfall in the Arrowhead of Minnesota, perhaps the region hit hardest by the cross-country storm. Blizzard conditions ensued and up to 12 to 18 inches of snow fell.