A powerful winter storm unleashed snow, ice, strong winds, and plummeting temperatures across parts of the central US on Sunday, creating hazardous travel conditions. The storm, which could bring the “heaviest snowfall in a decade” to some regions, blanketed major roadways in Kansas, western Nebraska, and parts of Indiana, where the National Guard was deployed to assist stranded motorists.
The National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings for Kansas and Missouri, forecasting at least 8 inches of snow, particularly north of Interstate 70, with blizzard conditions reported in some areas. The warnings extended to New Jersey, set to remain in effect through Monday and into early Tuesday.
“For locations in this region that receive the highest snow totals, it may be the heaviest snowfall in at least a decade,” the weather service said early Sunday. Around 63 million people in the US were under winter weather alerts on Sunday, as a polar vortex brought intense cold by shifting south from the North Pole. Studies link the rising frequency of such events to a rapidly warming Arctic.
In Indiana, heavy snowfall blanketed sections of Interstate 64, Interstate 69, and U.S. Route 41, leading State Police to urge motorists to avoid travel while plows struggled to manage the accumulating snow.
“It’s snowing so hard, the snow plows go through and then within a half hour the roadways are completely covered again,” Sgt. Todd Ringle said.
Part of I-70 was closed in central Kansas by Saturday afternoon. Roughly 10 inches (25 centimeters) of snow had fallen in parts of the state, with snow and sleet totals predicted to top 14 inches for parts of Kansas and northern Missouri.