Snow still packs a wallop, more coming
A winter-like spring storm pounded the USA’s midsection Sunday, covering the Upper Midwest in heavy snow and ice while whipping farther south, bringing high winds and even tornadoes.
The combination of snow and wind grounded hundreds of flights, closed highways and canceled games and church services. And Mother Nature’s April surprise that packed a deadly punch from the Gulf Coast to northern Wisconsin and Michigan isn’t over yet. More snow is possible from two storm systems that could bring more severe weather in the week ahead.
On Sunday, heavy snow fell from the Upper Midwest to the Upper Great Lakes with a chance of rain and freezing rain from the Great Lakes to the Northeast, according to the National Weather Service. Heavy rain was possible from the Mid-Atlantic to parts of the Tennessee Valley.
Dangerous conditions continued in the Milwaukee area, where snow and freezing rain wreaked havoc. The storm, on track to become the biggest to hit northeastern Wisconsin in April, could dump an additional 8 to 15 inches of snow on the Green Bay area, which got nearly a foot of snow Saturday, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Winds up to 55 mph whipped waves on Lake Michigan in Wisconsin and Illinois that could reach as high as 18 feet, causing potential coastal flooding.
Freezing rain cut power to nearly 160,000 across Michigan, as the winter storm warning remained in effect for most of the state.
South Dakota got a bit of storm relief on Sunday, allowing the airport in Sioux Falls to reopen for the first time since Thursday, according to the AP. Snow and wind gusts of up to 50 mph caused blizzard conditions that made travel all but impossible on Saturday.
Tornado watches were in effect in parts of Florida on Sunday as the severe storms in the central United States brought high winds, lightning and heavy rains to the deep South.
According to the National Weather Service, a tornado caused some damage in Louisiana and Mississippi. Winds of up to 115 mph touched down Saturday in Meridian, Miss., knocking out power and uprooting trees.
Another tornado ripped through Richland Parish near Rayville, La., on Sunday, causing minor damage.
A new storm system was forecast to bring rain and mountain snow to the Northwest and Northern California on Sunday, spreading to the northern Rockies by Monday.
Snow or a mix of rain and snow will sweep through the northern Plains into the upper Mississippi Valley and much of the Great Lakes through Wednesday.