A powerful winter storm has swept across the Plains, bringing blizzard warnings to Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota. The storm, described as intense, has dumped more than a foot of snow in some areas, significantly impacting daily life and causing widespread power outages.
South Dakota experienced over 14 inches of snow in some regions, while Colorado reported about 13 inches. Wyoming and Nebraska each saw approximately 11 inches, and parts of Kansas received about 8.5 inches. The heavy snowfall led to more than 17,000 customers losing power in North Dakota early Wednesday, as reported by poweroutage.us.
Despite the massive snowfall, additional significant snow accumulation was not expected, with only a couple of inches in certain spots.
The National Weather Service in Hastings, Nebraska, mentioned on social media that there's a small chance for lingering light snow through Thursday, mainly concentrated in isolated showers to the west. The region is expected to experience a gradual warming trend this week, although temperatures may drop slightly on Sunday.
As weather alerts began to expire on Wednesday morning, gusty winds continued to blow and drift the snow around, affecting areas from South Dakota to Nebraska, western Kansas, Wyoming, and Colorado. Colorado experienced wind gusts up to 71 mph, while North and South Dakota saw gusts of 67 and 63 mph, respectively.
In addition to the snow, up to half an inch of ice coated trees and power lines from Minnesota to North Dakota. Meanwhile, heavy rain was expected in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday morning and in New York City in the afternoon.
