Winter Storm Iras Spreading Snow and Ice Through the Midwest and Northeast

January 10,2017
Winter Storm Iras is delivering snow and ice to the upper Midwest and interior Northeast as the storm tracks through the Great Lakes.
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Blowing snow and high winds combined to snarl traffic across southern Minnesota on Tuesday, even creating whiteout conditions in south-central and southwest Minnesota.
Additional snowfall-related road tie-ups occurred on Interstates 90 and 35 in southern Minnesota and Interstate 94 in western Wisconsin.
(LATEST NEWS: Winter Storm Iras Impacts)
Parts of upstate New York became coated in ice Tuesday evening, including the city of Syracuse. Many area schools dismissed early to get students home safely before the sleet and freezing rain arrived.
Upper-level energy associated with Iras is pushing eastward and has spawned an area of low pressure that is bringing wintry weather to areas farther east across the nation's northern tier through Tuesday night.

Current Conditions and Radar

This energy may also allow wind gusts to surpass 60 mph in the Chicago, Detroit and Buffalo metropolitan areas Tuesday evening. Erie, Pennsylvania, along the southeast shore of Lake Erie, gusted as high as 67 mph. Widespread gusty winds are also likely across the Midwest, even outside of rain and snow showers.
Winter weather advisories are in place for portions of the Great Lakes and interior Northeast. A freezing rain advisory is in effect for parts of northern Maryland, western Virginia and eastern West Virginia, as well as for a portion of Maine.

Winter Weather Alerts

Let's break down the forecast details and then take a look at how much ice and snow has fallen.

Tuesday Night's Forecast

• Low pressure wraps up in the Great Lakes, with snow and wind in the northern Great Lakes and upper Midwest, including Minnesota, northern Wisconsin and northern Michigan.
• A wintry mix of sleet, ice or snow pushes through the interior Northeast and eastern Great Lakes. Many areas will change to rain overnight Tuesday night.

Tuesday Night's Forecast

How Much Snow?

• Less than 6 inches of snow are expected for most areas from eastern Montana to the Dakotas, Minnesota, northern Wisconsin and northern Michigan.
• Most areas of the interior Northeast from northern New England to upstate New York and northwest Pennsylvania will also see less than 6 inches of snow.
• Light ice accumulations are expected across interior parts of the Northeast, leading to slippery travel.

Snowfall Forecast

Storm History

During the weekend, Iras brought significant snow and ice to parts of the Pacific Northwest. Up to an inch of ice was reported in Lane County, Oregon, which includes Eugene, Creswell and Goshen. Eugene, Oregon, also picked up 4.5 inches of snow. Freezing rain and snow impacted the Salt Lake City metro and Portland area Sunday.
Cold air trapped in the valleys of western Colorado also resulted in freezing rain there on Monday. Around the Grand Junction area, near one quarter of an inch of ice had accumulated through late Monday morning, leading to ice-covered roads and sending cars into ditches.

Snowfall Totals So Far

Here are some select snow totals from Iras, as of Tuesday evening.
California: 25 inches in Mammoth Lakes
Colorado: Estimated 18.2 inches in the higher terrain near Steamboat Springs
Idaho: 44 inches at the Atlanta Summit Snotel; 2-4 inches in Boise
Illinois: 0.9 inches in Gurnee; 0.2 inches in Chicago (O'Hare)
Indiana: 1 inch near Lake James
Massachusetts: 0.2 inches in Savoy
Michigan: 6.5 inches near Reed City; 2.8 inches in Detroit
Minnesota: 7.2 inches near Willmar; 1.9 inches in Minneapolis
Montana: 30.3 inches near Island Park at the Black Bear Snotel
​New York: 1 inch near Inlet
​North Dakota: 3.5 inches in Wahpeton and Casselton; 2.3 inches in Fargo; 1.2 inches in Bismarck
Nevada: 5.0 inhces near Incline Village
Ohio: 3.5 inches in Chardon
Oregon: 20 inches near Paulina; 9.0 inches in Bend; 4.5 inches in Eugene
​Pennsylvania: 3 inches near Cresson
South Dakota: 5 inches near Kidder
Utah: 16.6 inches near Almo at the George Creek Snotel
​Vermont: 0.2 inches in Landgrove
​Virginia: 0.1 inches in Purcellville
Washington: 14.0 inches in Cle Elum
​West Virginia: 1 inch in Paw Paw
Wisconsin: 6 inches in Francis Creek; 1.5 inches in Green Bay; 0.9 inches in Madison; 0.7 inches in Milwaukee
Wyoming: Estimated 48 inches near Driggs at the Grassy Lake Snotel

Ice Accretion Totals So Far

Here are some select ice totals from Iras, as of Tuesday evening.

California: 0.25-0.50 inches in Big Pine
Colorado: 0.25 inches near Grand Junction
Idaho: 0.50 inches in Fruitland
Nevada: 0.10 inches near Gardnerville Ranch
New York: 0.25 inches in Cicero and Cayuga
Oregon: 0.75-1 inch of ice in Creswell; 0.75 inches near Eugene
South Dakota: 0.07 inches near Watertown
Washington: 0.50 inches near Vancouver
West Virginia: 0.10 inches in Kingwood and Hendricks

 

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