Wild weather: Potent storm gaining strength in the Midwest could fuel blizzard conditions
Millions of people were at risk Wednesday as a threatening storm gained strength in the Midwest, fueling blizzard conditions across much of the region as gusty winds from the same system fueled wildfires from parched Texas into the southern High Plains.
The system is sweeping the nation just days after a powerful storm slammed across the country, killing more than 40 people. The latest storm, a deep area of low pressure, will spread heavy snow across the Central Plains before pivoting through the Upper Midwest and Upper Great Lakes into Thursday, forecaster Paul Ziegenfelder wrote Wednesday in a public discussion on the Weather Prediction Center website.
"Snowfall rates up to 2 inches per hour will likely combine with wind gusts over 50 mph to produce blizzard conditions," Ziegenfelder warned.
He said the greatest risk for blizzard conditions was from northern Kansas through southern Minnesota. The combination of heavy snow and strong winds will create "near−zero visibility at times. This will make travel dangerous to nearly impossible," Ziegenfelder added.
While the blizzard threat will wane overnight, the National Weather Service said moderate to heavy snowfall and gusty winds will still impact areas in Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The weather service also forecasted additional snowfall exceeding 6 inches in parts of eastern Nebraska through northern Iowa and southern Minnesota.
Scattered, severe thunderstorms were also possible into the night over Indiana, parts of Kentucky, and Tennessee, the weather service said.
Meanwhile, strong wind gusts over 50 mph will continue across the southern Plains into the evening hours, according to the weather service. The agency warned residents of blowing dust as well as downed trees andpower lines that can lead to power outages.
As of Wednesday night, nearly 262,000 homes and businesses were without power in the U.S., according to Paste BN's power outage tracker.
Gusts and dry conditions increase wildfire risks
Gusty winds and dry conditions raised the risk of wildfires Wednesday from southwestern Texas into the southern High Plains. The National Weather Service issued fire weather warnings for portions of Oklahoma due to a heightened risk of wildfire and dust storms blowing in from Texas.
Oklahoma County commissioners declared a disaster emergency to get assistance in fighting out-of-control wildfires. County commissioners have also requested that Gov. Kevin Stitt implement a statewide burn ban.
Even with a reprieve in heavy winds, "the anticipation is for this week to remain a little bit ugly, and potentially up to the next four weeks, according to long-range forecasts," said David Barnes, county emergency management director.
On Wednesday, the Texas A&M Forest Service reported that it responded to 14 new wildfires on Tuesday that burned 18,518 acres across the state. The agency noted that there are currently 137 counties with burn bans in place.
— Cheyenne Derksen, Josh Kelly, and Dale Denwalt, The Oklahoman
High winds, snow reduces visibility in Kansas
Blizzard conditions forced Interstate 70 to close Wednesday in western Kansas. Various roads and highways were also shut down due to low visibility.
The snow and high winds were moving westward, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a blizzard warning for parts of north-central Kansas. Temperatures in the state's capital Topeka dropped from 69 degrees at 5 a.m. to 48 at 9 a.m. local time.
"Travel conditions are extremely unsafe. If you don’t absolutely need to be on the roads, please stay home and stay safe," the Kansas Highway Patrol warned.
Earlier Wednesday, the state highway patrol reported that "numerous" vehicles had been stranded on highways in southwest Kansas and prevented Department of Transportation crews from plowing the roadways.
— Tim Hrenchir, Topeka Capital-Journal
Dust storm sweeps across El Paso, Texas
In Texas, a dust storm turned skies over El Paso into a sand color that created low visibility Tuesday. Residents were advised to stay off roads, the National Weather Service in El Paso said. The top recorded wind gust on Tuesday was 101 mph at 4:40 p.m. in the San Agustin Pass east of Las Cruces, New Mexico, the NWS reported. About an hour and a half earlier, a wind gust of 93 mph was also recorded there.
The El Paso office said late Tuesday that no strong wind events are expected over the next five days. However, there is a "critical risk" of fire weather over the parts of the Southern High Plains on Wednesday and Thursday, Ziegenfelder wrote.
A driver was killed when he crashed into the back of a dump truck hauling sand during the dust storm, police said. Strong dusty winds, low visibility, and speeding were factors in the deadly crash, which occurred at about 2:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday, in northeast El Paso.
− Daniel Borunda, El Paso Times
Tornadoes with 200-mph winds possible
The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center issued an "enhanced risk" of severe thunderstorms over parts of the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys and the Upper Great Lakes that could bring severe thunderstorms, hail and multiple tornadoes through Thursday morning.
Some of those tornadoes could be powerful, and EF5 tornadoes that can drive gusts of more than 200 mph can't be ruled out, forecasters said.
Contributing: Jorge L. Ortiz, Paste BN