By: By Sean Breslin
Published: February 17,2014
"We will see light to moderate snow spread across much of the Midwest Monday, with a little bit of freezing rain along the southern edge for places such as St. Louis," said weather.com meteorologist Nick Wiltgen. "Untreated streets and sidewalks will be slick and there are some flight delays and cancelations. Blowing snow will be an issue in some areas as well. But by and large, this storm is well within the range that Midwesterners are accustomed to dealing with."
(MORE: Check the Winter Storm Rex Forecast | Live Updates)
Travelers are suffering through another difficult day as winter's icy grip causes airlines to delay and cancel more flights. By late afternoon Monday, nearly 1,200 flights in the U.S. had been canceled and 3,000 more had been delayed, according to tracking service FlightAware.com. Roads could also become dangerous during the height of the snowfall, so officials were warning drivers to avoid unnecessary travel.
Below is a rundown of the latest news from each state affected by Rex.
Illinois
Heavy snow bands reached Chicago mid-Monday morning, leading to near-whiteout conditions in some areas.By late afternoon Monday, nearly 1,200 flights in the U.S. had been canceled and an additional 3,000 had been delayed, according to tracking service FlightAware.com.
Chicago was hit hardest, as the area was caught in a storm that was expected to drop up to 8 inches of snow by Monday night before moving into the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast on Tuesday.
Nearly 500 departures were canceled Monday at Chicago's two big airports, O'Hare and Midway, and many flights headed to the city were also scrubbed, FlightAware said. The Chicago department of aviation said most of the cancelations were proactive — announced ahead of the storm.
American Eagle, the regional affiliate of American Airlines, and Southwest, which has a big operation at Midway, had canceled more than 200 flights each. ExpressJet, which operates regional flights for bigger carriers, had dropped more than 180.
The Illinois Department of Transportation said the storm was creating dangerous driving conditions and urged motorists to be careful. The department reported that roads were snow or ice covered in the central and northern parts of the state. Roads in the Chicago area had patchy snow and ice. Illinois State Police say dozens of vehicles slid off central Illinois interstates and police had responded to a handful of accidents. Only minor injuries were reported. Airports in Champaign, Springfield and Bloomington reported some delayed and canceled flights.
Illinois State University canceled classes starting at 5 p.m. on Monday.
Indiana
The National Weather Service reported 4½ inches of snow fell Monday in LaPorte, more than 3 inches in New Haven just east of Fort Wayne, and 3 inches in Columbia City.Many schools scheduled classes on the Presidents Day federal holiday to make up some of the instruction time lost earlier this winter because of weather, only to dismiss early amid forecasts of sleet and freezing rain in central Indiana.
After power was lost at a mobile home park in the eastern Indiana city of Richmond, authorities opened a warming station for affected residents until the power returned. Duke Energy was reporting more than 450 customers without power in Wayne County on Monday evening.
(MORE: These Cities Are Sick of Snow This Season)
A winter weather advisory remains in effect for much of central and northern Indiana, while five counties in the northwestern part of the state are under a winter storm warning.
Iowa
Parts of eastern Iowa could receive as much as five inches of additional snow from Rex, while areas in the southwestern parts of the state are more likely to receive a wintry mix from the storm. Winter weather advisories have been issued for all but four extreme northwestern counties of the state, and about a dozen counties in eastern Iowa are under a winter storm warning as snow begins to fall Monday.Michigan
The National Weather Service says snow started Monday afternoon in Grand Rapids and roughly 3 to 4 inches had fallen by early evening. As snow fell, crashes closed portions of Interstate 96 in the Grand Rapids area. The Muskegon area saw whiteout conditions.In the northern Lower Peninsula, 3 to 5 inches of snow is forecast, with higher amounts possible locally. The Upper Peninsula also is expected to get clipped by the snowstorm, with 3 to 5 inches of snow possible across the western and central U.P. Warmer weather is expected Tuesday through Thursday in parts of the state.
The Kalamazoo Gazette reports part of I-94 in Van Buren County was shut after a multi-vehicle crash.
Officials say the weight of snow has led to a roof collapse at the Christian Reformed Conference Grounds in western Michigan.
WOOD-TV says no injuries are reported. The site is used for camping and recreation. It's located in Ottawa County's Grand Haven Township, about 30 miles northwest of Grand Rapids.
The Grand Haven Tribune reports the collapse happened about 2:30 p.m. Sunday. No one was in the 80-by-130-foot building at the time. The building is used for storage in the winter and for worship services and concerts, meetings and programs in the summer.
Minnesota
The city of Mankato has declared a snow emergency from 6 p.m. Monday night through 6 a.m. Tuesday morning, according to KEYC-TV. Cars may not be parked on roadways while the emergency is in effect, which will help crews remove snow quicker.Temporary parking restrictions have been imposed in Minneapolis, St. Paul and several suburbs so plows can clear away as much as a half-foot of snow from the latest storm to hit winter-weary Minnesota.
It's the sixth snow emergency of the winter for Minneapolis, which usually declares only three in a normal winter.
The National Weather Service measured 6.4 inches of snow Monday at its forecast office in Chanhassen, and reports from 4 to more than 5 inches were common from Willmar in the west to St. Cloud in central Minnesota, and Albert Lea and Mankato in the south.
(MORE: Here's When Temperatures Could Finally Warm Up)
Missouri
Several counties near the Iowa border are under a winter weather advisory, and freezing rain advisories have been issued for multiple counties in eastern Missouri. The chance of ice accretions of more than one-tenth of an inch in Missouri are confined to St. Louis and areas to the immediate northwest, but hundreds of thousands are still risking big trouble if they take to the roads Monday morning.
New Jersey
New Jersey is in line for another round of winter weather that could make for a messy morning commute.But forecasters say relief from the recent stretch of snow and cold is on the horizon.
The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for most areas, which takes effect early Tuesday. Forecasters say 1 to 5 inches of snow is expected, with northern and central areas seeing the highest accumulations.
Ohio
Parts of winter-weary Ohio are getting more snow. A winter weather advisory was in effect for central and northern Ohio as 2 to 4 more inches of snow were expected Monday. The snow was expected to last into early Tuesday, with some rain for parts of southern Ohio. The heaviest snow was expected in northwest Ohio. The latest snow is expected to be followed by a warm-up later this week.Ohioans have already struggled through one of the coldest, snowiest winters in years. Snow since early December has led to a shortage of road salt in some municipalities, high overtime costs for plow crews and schools running out of snow days.
Pennsylvania
Forecasters say winter-weary Pennsylvania residents can expect another storm overnight that is expected to bring several inches of snow to many areas. The National Weather Service says 1 to 3 inches is expected in many areas of eastern Pennsylvania, but forecasters say little or no additional snow is expected in Philadelphia and some surrounding areas. Forecasters expect 2 to 6 inches of snow in parts of western and central Pennsylvania, and they say a freezing drizzle or a thin coating of ice is possible in some areas.Wisconsin
A snowstorm turned roads slippery across much of Wisconsin and led many schools to close for the day or send students home early.A winter storm warning remained in effect until 9 p.m. Monday over much of eastern Wisconsin, where total accumulations of 4 to 7 inches were expected.
Flights kept taking off from Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee during heavy snowfall in the afternoon, though nearly half had either been delayed, rescheduled or canceled by about 3:30 p.m.
Six Hartford Union High School students were injured when their bus left a snow-covered road and crashed into a tree.
A Milwaukee County sheriff's deputy who was already responding to a crash was hurt when a vehicle traveling too fast for the conditions slammed into the back of his squad car.
MORE: Images of Winter Storm Rex Slamming the South
A snow covered taxi moves down a street in Chicago, Monday, Feb. 17, 2014. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
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