MINNEAPOLIS –A powerfulwinterstorm is snarlingThanksgivingtravelacross parts of the UpperMidwestWednesday, after pummeling the Northern Plains withsnowand powerfulwindgusts that caused numerous driving injuries and hundreds of crashes.
Meanwhile, the FOX Forecast Center istracking a second winter stormthat will impact millions across more than 40 states, just as manyholidaytravelers return home. Even more intense wind gusts and heavy snowfall are forecast for the centralU.s.with the potential to cause significant delays at major airports.
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Treacherous travel conditions remain acrossMinnesota,WisconsinandMichigan, as the first of two winter storms races across the Upper Midwest during the busy Thanksgiving travel rush.
Interstate 29 remained shut down early Wednesday morning betweenFargo,North DakotaandWatertown,South Dakotabefore reopening as the fast-moving system cleared out of the area.
On Wednesday evening, parts of northern Wisconsin reported between 12 and 18 inches of snow. With one report in Brule, Wisconsin measuring 23 inches of snow, according to National Weather Service data.
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Whiteout driving conditions with wind gusts over 70 mph were reported across the Dakotas and Minnesota. Minnesota officials reported more than 250 crashes, with 30 resulting in injuries, between Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning.
More than 30 semi-trucks jackknifed resulting in the closure of Interstate 94 Tuesday evening into the overnight hours in the northwestern part of the state.
Tens of thousands of customers were without power in northern Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula by Wednesday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.com.
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Winds will remain an issue for airports across the Midwest through Wednesday, as powerful wind gusts will trigger ground stops and ground delays.
More than 1,100 flights were disrupted across the country by late Wednesday morning.
As this first system moves out of the area, the biggestlake-effect snowevent for the season thus far will begin for the Great Lakes Snowbelt Wednesday afternoon.
The FOX Forecast Center said snow totals will be measured in feet, before the snow finally tapers off Saturday morning. Periods ofwhiteout driving conditionsare expected.
Snow has already fallen across Michigan's Upper Peninsula and the National Weather Service (NWS) office inMarquettesaid people should avoid traveling Wednesday and on Thanksgiving Day, if possible.
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More than a foot of lake-enhanced snow has already fallen in parts of northern Minnesota and northern Wisconsin.
The Great Lakes Snowbelt inOhio,Pennsylvania, westernNew York, and New York's Tug Hill Plateau are also expected to receive feet of lake-effect snow, with the worst of the snow expected to fall on Thanksgiving Day.
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Winds are expected to be strong enough to carry lake-effect snow bands intoSyracuseandAlbanyin central Upstate New York and New York's Capital Region, impacting drivers, especially along Interstate 90.
Meanwhile, cold temperatures will settle across the majority of the country on Thanksgiving Day itself, setting the stage for a dangerous winter storm that will impact more than 40 states beginning Friday, with the potential to cause more delays at major airports across the Central U.S.
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As millions begin to return home or head out for Black Friday shopping, an area of low pressure will develop in the Rockies, and is expected to bringDenver's first snow of the season.
The storm will move across the Central Plains Friday into Saturday, and is expected to bring 5-8 inches of snow across portions ofIowa, southern Wisconsin, andIllinois, according to the FOX Forecast Center.
Chicagois expected to see 8-12 inches of snow beginning Friday, which could rival its snowiest two-day total in November since records began in 1884, according to the Forecast Center.
Chicago,MilwaukeeandDetroitairports could all see significant delays due to wind and heavy snow.
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South of Interstate 70, the mid-MississippiValley and points south and east will see repeated rounds of heavy rain beginning Saturday, with rain reaching the East Coast by Sunday.
Travel impacts are expected to last into Monday.
Original article source:Blizzard unleashes Thanksgiving travel chaos, with biggest lake-effect snow of the season still ahead