LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A winter storm is expected to slam states across the South and Midwest beginning Tuesday night and lasting through Wednesday night, according to the National Weather Service.
A swath of more than 2,000 miles is expected to be affected by the storm, which is predicted to break out as early as Tuesday night from portions of Colorado and New Mexico to Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan.
On Wednesday night, the hazardous weather is expected to expand farther south and east into Texas, Arkansas and part of the lower Ohio Valley.
“Confidence is growing in the formation of a major winter storm that is set to bring disruptive snow and ice accumulations from the Rockies and the Heartland to the Great Lakes Tuesday night into Wednesday,” the NWS reported Monday evening.
Denver, Dallas and Detroit are among the major metro areas expected to be hit with weather that could affect and delay travelers.
Parts of I-80, I-90, I-70, I-40 and even parts of I-20 could be hit hard by the weather, according to AccuWeather Lead Storm Warning Meteorologist Billy Clark.
The storm is expected to impact up to 90 million people. It is also expected to hit retailers and consumers as weather conditions may slow down or even stop a few trucks from transporting goods through parts of the Central U.S. for a few days, according to Accuweather.
Its latest forecast has predicted that up to a foot or more of snow is possible in the higher elevations of Colorado and New Mexico.
As the front heads east, it could drop more than 4 inches from eastern Kansas to the Lower Great Lakes.
An icy mix of sleet and freezing rain is expected to hit a large swath of the central Plains, the Middle Mississippi Valley and the eastern corn Belt. Places as far south as North Texas could also receive hazardous amounts of ice and snow.
“The threat for heavy snow and treacherous icing will last into Thursday but uncertainty remains in how long certain locations stay snow or wintry mix longer, which could still result in changes to the snowfall and ice accumulation forecasts,” the NWS reported.
Periods of rain are expected throughout much of the Mid-South on Wednesday. On the backside of the winter storm, bitterly cold temperatures are expected in some areas.
The Trucker News Staff produces engaging content for not only TheTrucker.com, but also The Trucker Newspaper, which has been serving the trucking industry for more than 30 years. With a focus on drivers, the Trucker News Staff aims to provide relevant, objective content pertaining to the trucking segment of the transportation industry. The Trucker News Staff is based in Little Rock, Arkansas.
