Winter Storm Maximus Brings Heavy Snow to Western Mountains, Moves East: State-by-State Impacts

By: By Sean Breslin

Published: January 31,2014

 

 

 

 

 

Winter Storm Maximus dumped snow on Western states that have been passed over by countless storm systems this season. While the Sierra Nevada in Northern California saw nearly two feet of snow, it won't do much to help the devastating drought in the region.
"Maximus brought some much needed snow to California's Sierra Nevada Thursday into early Friday," said weather.com meteorologist Chris Dolce. "The storm is now on the move to the east and will bring widespread snow and ice to parts of the Midwest through Saturday. This wintry weather will impact cities such as Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit and Kansas City."
The storm could bring another foot of snow to higher elevations in the Rockies before pushing east for the weekend.
(FORECAST: Winter Storm Maximus)
Below is a rundown of the latest news coming from areas affected by Maximus.

Arizona

Authorities at Grand Canyon National Park say a winter storm may be to blame for a fatal car accident near the south entrance.
They say a sedan and pickup truck collided about 2:15 p.m. Friday about three miles north of the park's South Entrance Station.
Park officials say a 24-year-old woman who was a backseat passenger in the sedan suffered fatal injuries. Her name and hometown weren't immediately released.
Park officials say sleet and snow was falling in the area at the time of the accident, which is being investigated by the National Park Service and Coconino County authorities.

California

Though nearly 2 feet of snow fell in parts of the Sierra Nevada in Northern California this week, the system provided only a few sprinkles of rain. The San Francisco Bay area has had only about 10-20 percent of the precipitation that it usually gets this time of year, said National Weather Service forecaster Diana Henderson. San Francisco International Airport normally has 11.35 inches by this point in the season, but it has had only 1.5 inches. Santa Rosa Airport normally gets 20.71, but has had only 2.10 this season.
"So far, it's been a very dry year. The last time we had measurable rain around the Bay Area was Dec. 7," she said. "That is not what we think of as typical."
(MORE: Finally, an Answer to the Prayers of Californians)
More than 21 inches must fall by the end of the rainy season on June 30 — an unlikely prospect — for the region to get back to its normal levels, Henderson said.

Colorado

Maximus is pounding parts of Colorado, dumping near 2 feet of heavy snow, hampering travel and causing power outages. The National Weather Service has posted a winter storm warning for northern and western Colorado, including much of the Denver area where power outages were reported Thursday night. About 2 feet of snow is possible in parts of the mountains, and 10 inches in Denver. Preliminary snowfall reports Thursday evening included 21 inches near Breckenridge, 19 near Dillon, 18.5 near Fraser and 16 near Frisco. The Colorado Department of Transportation closed the Loveland and Berthoud passes and reported slick road conditions in many areas, including along Interstate 70. Nearly 170 flights at Denver International Airport were canceled Thursday. Most of the cancelations involved flights to mountain towns.
A crash has closed a stretch of Interstate 25 from Fort Collins to the Wyoming border, and I-70 has reopened after a semi truck jackknifed near Golden, according to local reports.

Illinois

Heavy snow is forecast for northern and central Illinois on Saturday. The Illinois Department of Transportation says plows and weather crews are on standby to deal with the snow. The Chicago National Weather Service Forecast Office has issued a Winter Storm Warning in Chicago, beginning at 9 p.m. Friday and lasting until 6 p.m. Saturday.

Indiana

In northeastern Indiana, parts of the region received about an inch of snow overnight into Friday, along with winds gusting to about 20 mph at times. Whitley County officials urged caution on rural roads Friday morning.
Meanwhile, The National Weather Service is debunking rumors circulating on social media that the winter storm could dump up to 30 inches of snow on parts of Indiana next week, The Indy Channel reports.

Michigan

Michigan is bracing for another round of winter weather this weekend after a frigid, snowy January that broke records in parts of the state. Through Thursday night, the weather service says the Detroit area saw 39.1 inches of snow in January. That earlier broke the record for January and now tops the record for the all-time snowiest month for the Detroit area of 38.4 inches set in February of 1908.

Nevada

As much as 8 inches of snow was reported Thursday morning at Gardnerville, 5 inches in Lyon County's Smith Valley and 4 inches in Carson City and Yerington, the National Weather Service said. More than an inch of rain fell in Verdi just west of Reno. The state highway from Reno to Virginia City was temporarily shut down while snow plows worked to clear the way to a half dozen minor traffic accidents on the slippery mountain road Thursday morning, and schools were closed there too.
The same front brought strong winds into southern Nevada, where a high-wind warning remained in effect until 8 p.m. Thursday in Red Rock Canyon and the Spring Mountains. Another weak weather system was expected to bring additional light snow accumulations to the Sierra and western Nevada into Friday morning, with an inch or two possible in Reno and Carson City.

Wyoming

Maximus dumped heavy snow and slickened roads and highways in Wyoming. Interstate 25 is back open from Cheyenne to the Colorado line. The highway was closed for about four hours Friday morning.
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A man walks through the Azusa Pacific University parking lot as wildfires burn in foothills on January 16, 2014 in Azusa, California. (Dan R. Krauss/Getty Images)