Winter Storm Argos has already produced blizzard conditions in parts of the Northern Plains, and will spread heavy snow and strong winds into the Great Lakes and interior Northeast into this weekend.
(MORE: The Science Behind Naming Winter Storms | Winter Storm Central)
After dumping over a foot of snow in parts of the Rockies, Argos is now hammering parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan with wind-driven, first-of-the-season snow.
Video above courtesy Derek Thompson near Kranzburg, South Dakota, early Friday morning.Wind gusts from 30 to 50 mph have been widespread across this zone of heavy snow early Friday, leading to whiteout conditions in some rural areas outside of larger cities.
(LATEST NEWS: Winter Storm Argos Impacts)
Current Conditions and Radar
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Winter storm watches have been hoisted for parts of the Lake Superior snowbelt of the western Upper Peninsula of Michigan and extreme northern Wisconsin.
Current Winter Weather Alerts
Here's the general timing for the snowfall as Argos moves east, followed by a look at possible accumulations. Our storm recap with the latest storm reports follows the forecast.
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This Weekend
Saturday's Forecast
Winter storm warnings are already posted for parts of Upper Michigan and far northern Wisconsin, and lake-effect snow watches and warnings have been issued for parts of Pennsylvania and New York from Saturday evening through Monday morning.
(MORE: 7-day National Forecast Maps | The Science Behind Lake-Effect Snow)
Moisture wrapping around that aforementioned secondary, sprawling Québec low will also wring out snow not just over the higher elevations of the Northeast, but also in some lower elevations of the interior from Pennsylvania to the Mohawk Valley and northern New England. This snow is expected to continue through Monday night in some areas.
(MORE: November Reality Check on the Horizon: Colder Temperatures Coming)
Sunday's Forecast
How Much Snow Will Fall?
Northeast/Great Lakes
- The heaviest snow accumulations this weekend through Monday night are expected in the Adirondacks of New York and eastern Great Lakes snowbelts, where over a foot of snow may pile up.
- Additional heavy snow accumulations are possible in the Green and White Mountains of northern New England.
- Some locally heavy accumulations can't be ruled out in the Lake Superior and Lake Michigan northern snowbelts, as well.
- Winds near the Lake Superior shore Saturday could produce whiteout conditions, at times.
- Some accumulations are also possible in some larger cities outside of the areas of heaviest lake-effect, lake-enhanced snow from northeast Ohio to the upper Hudson and Mohawk Valleys of New York.
- No accumulations are expected along the I-95 corridor from Maine to Virginia.
Snowfall Forecast
Snowstorm Recap, Totals From Argos, So Far
Locally, 10 to 20 inches of snow had fallen in parts of Wyoming and southern Montana, nearly wiping out an almost 20 inch season snow deficit in one day in Lander, Wyoming.The first snow of the season fell in the Salt Lake City metro area early Thursday, with some enhancement by wind flow over the Great Salt Lake, slickening roads for the Thursday morning commute in some areas. At Salt Lake City International Airport, 0.3 inches of snow was measured.
Denver saw its first snow of the season, beginning just before noon on Thursday, picking up 1.7 inches of snow.
Here are the top snow totals by state from Winter Storm Argos, as of Friday evening.
Idaho: 8.0 inches near West Yellowstone
Utah: 9 inches near Grand County Airport
Montana: 16 inches near Red Lodge
Kansas: 1 inch near St Francis
Wyoming: 20 inches about 18 miles west of Lander (est'd by SNOTEL sensor)
Colorado: 12.5 inches near Skyway
Nebraska: 6.0 inches in Newport and near Sutherland
South Dakota: 9.5 inches in Parker
North Dakota: 5.7 inches near Whitewood
Minnesota: 24.6 inches near Orr
Wisconsin: 5.0 inches in Maple
Whiteout conditions have been reported so far along Interstate 29 in Richland County, North Dakota and near McCauleyville, Minnesota.
Strong wind gusts have also been reported, including a gust of 79 mph in Jackson, Michigan, a 71 mph gust near Summit, South Dakota, a 59 mph gust was reported at Minneapolis International Airport, a 56 mph wind gust near Rochester, Minnesota and a gust of 52 mph near Glenvil, Nebraska. In addition, snow drifts were approaching three feet Friday morning in Morris, Minnesota.
The combination of wet snow and high winds has caused power outages across sections of western Minnesota.
This was certainly a big change after October and early November's record warmth across the Rockies, Plains and upper Midwest.
For many cities east of the Rockies, this was the season's first accumulating snow. Here's a list of the average first date of accumulating snow in those locations:
- Cheyenne, Wyoming: October 2
- Lander, Wyoming: September 30
- Rapid City, South Dakota: October 16
- Fargo, North Dakota: November 2
- International Falls, Minnesota: October 18
- Marquette, Michigan: October 13
Be sure to check back with weather.com for updates on Winter Storm Argos throughout the weekend.
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