Midwest Buried in Snow, More Chill Coming
Dec. 12 -- Snow may have finished falling on the Midwest for now, but forecasters say the harsh weather is not done yet.
The Arctic air that helped dump as much as 16 inches of snow to Midwestern states on Monday is still alive and Weather Channel forecaster Scott Lawrimore in Atlanta says Texas and Oklahoma may expect serious ice problems in the hours ahead.
Oncoming Freeze
“A new area of low pressure developing in the western Gulf of Mexico is bringing the moisture in up over that cold air,” he said. “And so, we’re seeing ice and freezing rain. And it could be a real travel nightmare tomorrow morning in places like San Antonio and Austin.”
The National Weather Service predicted that the Arctic front will make its way to the mid-Atlantic region by Thursday, bringing with it possible snow and freezing rain.
The oncoming freeze follows in the wake of the first major storm of the season. Schools remained closed today in at least 10 states and air travel was still snarled after winter kicked into high gear on Monday with a powerful snowstorm across the Midwest.
East-central Michigan received a record 16 inches and 14 inches fell in northern Illinois, where winds gusted to 46 mph. Grand Rapids got 14.2 inches, a record for any single day in December, the National Weather Service said, and Milwaukee had a December record of 13.5 inches.
Travel Trouble
Officials in Chicago said it may be Wednesday before the city’s two airports are running at full capacity because of drifting snow and because Monday’s cancellations left planes out of position.
“Tuesday will be slow as we begin recovering from the storm andwe’ll likely have more cancellations and delays,” said MoniqueBond, spokeswoman for the Chicago Department of Aviation.
The snow took its toll on commuters and travelers throughout the region. Some had to travel two hours to get to work. One teacher in Chicago traveled two miles to her job on cross-country skis.
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