Winter weather forecast: See maps of projected snowfall around Midwest states
A winter storm dumped snow and ice on a portion of the Midwest while bringing strong winds and severe cold to millions of Americans in a region bracing for winter weather this week.
While much of the wintry mix had tapered off by Friday morning, slippery roads were expected to complicate road conditions in several Midwest states. The National Weather Service said in its Friday morning forecast that a storm heading southeast from Canada was forecast to weaken along the lower Great Lakes "with lingering periods of snow across much of the region."
A general 1-3 inches of dry, fluffy snow was expected to fall across southern North Dakota and much of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan, according to Accuweather. However, higher totals were predicted for some parts of the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley regions.
A region from eastern North Dakota to central Minnesota was in a zone susceptible to larger snowflakes that have the potential to pile up in a hurry. And both Minneapolis and Fargo, North Dakota, may have ended up with a half-foot of snow, Accuweather said.
Amid the winter weather, the state highway patrol said 15 people were injured early Thursday in North Dakota, six of them seriously, when a truck attempting to stop at an intersection slid on an icy road, causing a crash with a van and an SUV. The crash happened amid high winds, blowing snow and sleet near Reeder, about 115 miles southwest of Bismarck, according to the highway patrol.
A snow plow was also hit Thursday by a passing car, the patrol said.
The North Dakota Highway Patrol issued a "no travel advisory" urging motorists to stay off the roads, which temporarily included a complete restriction for larger vehicles and "oversize loads."
Northeast wind was also expected to produce lake-enhanced snow in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan's northeastern coast.
The Detroit area remained under a winter weather advisory Friday morning as the region was expected to get up to another 3 inches of snow through Friday night, the weather service said. Temperatures were also forecast to dip significantly into Saturday.
Another inch of snow was expected in the Chicago area Friday morning, causing untreated roadways to potentially become covered or slick, the weather service said.
The winds are forecasted to push the storm swiftly through the Northeast into Friday night.
Detroit, Michigan snow forecast
Chicago, Illinois snow forecast
Bismarck, North Dakota snow forecast
Milwaukee, Wisconsin snow forecast
Twin Cities, Minnesota snow forecast
National Snow Forecast Map
The map below shows the probability that an area could receive more than 4 inches of snow. Use the slider at the top left to toggle by day.
National weather radar
Contributing: Anthony Robledo, James Powel, Paste BN
Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for Paste BN. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com