A “highly impactful” winter storm is hitting much of the American midlands

OMAHA, Neb.– A “highly impactful” winter storm is expected to dump as much as a foot of snow on Monday in the center of the country, where blizzard and winter storm warnings are in effect.

The storm has the potential to bring 8 to 12 inches of snow to a broad area stretching from southeastern Colorado and western Kansas, through eastern Nebraska, much of Iowa, northern Missouri and northwestern Illinois, towards the upper parts of the state. peninsula of Michigan, said Bob Oravec, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland.

“So we have a very, very impactful event coming up,” Oravec said.

There were large school closures ahead of the storm in eastern Nebraska on Monday, where forecasters predicted 4 to 8 inches of snow. The district where the state capital of Lincoln is located is among those where students were told to stay home. Lines were long at a Target Store drive-up in Omaha on Sunday as residents stocked up on milk, bread and drinks ahead of the storm.

The National Weather Service office in Des Moines, Iowa, warned of the possibility of “widespread heavy, possibly extreme snowfall,” with snowfalls of up to 9 to 14 inches, “significant impacts” through Monday evening and Tuesday morning commutes and possible white skies at times -out conditions.

The threatening weather has already impacted campaigning for the Jan. 15 caucuses in Iowa, where snow is expected to be followed by frigid temperatures that could dip below 0 degrees (-18 degrees Celsius) on caucus day next week. It forced former President Donald Trump's campaign to cancel multiple appearances by Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders and her father, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who were scheduled to appear in court on Trump's behalf Monday before voters in Iowa.

In South Dakota, Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken urged residents not to travel Monday if not necessary and to give snow plows time and patience so they can clear the roads.

Much of western and southern Minnesota, as well as west-central Wisconsin, was also under winter storm warnings or advisories, with snow accumulations of up to 10 inches forecast.

In Wisconsin, cancellations began as early as Monday morning, with predictions prompting the Homeland Security Council to call off a Tuesday meeting in Madison. The council advises Governor Tony Evers on safety issues. The state capital was under a winter storm warning until early Wednesday morning, with as much as 9 inches of snow and winds of 40 miles per hour.

Northwestern Illinois was also under a winter storm warning, with forecasts predicting 6 to 12 inches of snow early Wednesday morning. Both the Chicago area and Gary, Indiana, were under winter storm advisories, with forecasts predicting up to 6 inches of snow and wind gusts up to 30 miles per hour in Chicago on Tuesday evening. Snowfall could exceed an inch per hour during the day on Tuesday, the weather service said.

The storm follows a separate storm that moved off the East Coast after dumping more than a foot of snow on parts of Pennsylvania, New York state and parts of New England on Sunday, Oravec said.

And another storm is on its way that will hit the Pacific Northwest as far away as the northern Rockies, he said. Blizzard warnings were out for much of the Cascade and Olympic areas in Washington and Oregon.