A powerful winter storm is continuing to ravage the United States, putting parts 29 states under winter weather alerts. The storm is likely to make travel conditions extremely difficult. And some areas are having power outages.
As of Wednesday, more than 65 million people across 29 states are being warned about severe icing, extreme cold, and sleet.
Here's a look at the Winter Storm Severity Index (WSSI) over the next 3 days, through midday Friday. Moderate, Major and Extreme winter weather impacts are expected from the West Coast to New England with travel not advised in the Upper Midwest due to blizzard conditions. pic.twitter.com/fcwxg5E7gQ
— National Weather Service (@NWS) February 21, 2023
The Upper Midwest region is expected to be hit the hardest by the storm, with the Minneapolis area likely to get more than 20 inches of snow on Wednesday alone. The multi-day storm could bring more than two feet of snow to the region, marking it as one of the most severe storms in 30 years.
The National Weather Service in the Twin Cities has described the storm as “historic.” It is expected to bring widespread accumulating snow, with blowing and drifting snow mainly from Wednesday through Thursday. The worst impacts over the Twin Cities region, including Minneapolis, St. Paul, and surrounding suburbs, are expected to begin late Wednesday into Thursday.
Winter weather alerts impact flights
The heavy snowfall is expected to be accompanied by gusty winds, making traveling a life-threatening task for thousands. More than 700 flights scheduled for Wednesday in the US have been canceled, according to the tracking site FlightAware. Among those, Minneapolis tallied more than 300 arriving and departing flight cancellations, and Denver had nearly 200 cancellations.
