Triple threat: Intense lake-effect snow for Great Lakes, flash freeze and winter weather blast
Snow Squall Warnings were issued in Illinois late Wednesday morning, as a line of intense storms brought whiteout conditions and travel delays to parts of Chicago and central Illinois. The bursts come ahead of more than a foot of lake-effect snow that's forecast to begin south of Lake Michigan later this afternoon.
CHICAGO, IL – Snow Squall Warnings were issued in Illinois late Wednesday morning as a line of intense storms brought whiteout conditions and travel delays to parts of Chicago and central Illinois.
The bursts come ahead of more than a foot of lake-effect snow that's forecast to begin south of Lake Michigan later this afternoon.
Rain that's ongoing across the Ohio Valley will also transition to snow in the afternoon as a flash freeze plunges temperatures as much as 10 degrees, setting up dangerous driving conditions for the evening commute across the Cleveland, Columbus, Pittsburgh and Buffalo metro areas.
Meanwhile, snow will blanket West Virginia and the southern Appalachians later Wednesday, with more than a foot of snow possible at elevations above 4,000 feet in East Tennesee and western North Carolina.
Chicago's O’Hare International and Midway International airports reported quarter-mile visibility and wind gusts between 43 and 47 mph, while Milwaukee recorded a wind gust of 36 mph and up to 2 inches of snow accumulation.
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A ground delay was implemented at O'Hare until 7:00 p.m. local time.
A trifecta of forecast ingredients has kicked the lake-effect snow machine into high gear, as winds are perfectly aligned to tap into the abundant moisture over relatively warm waters of both Lake Superior and Lake Michigan.
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Winter Storm Warnings are in effect for northwest Indiana and southwest Michigan downwind of Lake Michigan.
South Bend, Michigan City, Indiana, and Benton Harbor, Michigan, are all in what is expected to be the bulls-eye for the heaviest lake-effect snow.
The worst conditions are expected late Wednesday afternoon through mid-morning Thursday, where snowfall rates will range between 1 and 2 inches per hour in the heaviest lake-effect bands.
The National Weather Service Office in northern Indiana warned of whiteout and potentially life-threatening driving conditions, particularly on east-west oriented roads.
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The FOX Forecast Center expects between 12 and 18 inches of snow in the areas where snow bands set up most persistently.
"If the band ends up remaining even more stationary than currently forecast, more than two feet of snow will be possible through Friday morning," the FOX Forecast Center said.
The lake-effect threat shifts to Ohio and western New York Thursday off the shores of Lakes Erie and Ontario.
Meanwhile, snow will intensify Wednesday night across West Virginia’s Allegheny Mountains and the Blue Ridge Mountains of Tennessee and western North Carolina.
Snow is expected at elevations above 2,000 feet.
Up to a foot of snow is possible in places higher than 4,000 feet, before the storm tapers off beginning Thursday afternoon.
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