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17 million people under winter storm warnings from Texas to New York: Snow forecast updates

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Wyatte Grantham-Philips and Marina Pitofsky, USA TODAY
·5 min read

A winter storm warning stretching from the Southwest to the Midwest was in effect Tuesday – impacting more than  17.7 million people as of Tuesday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.

Heavy snow was forecast in states across the central U.S. this week. With dropping temperatures, some areas also saw rainfall turn into snow early Tuesday.

WEDNESDAY WEATHER UPDATES: Winter storm forecast to reach Northeast as Midwest wakes up to snow

Parts of central Indiana can expect up to 6 to 10 inches of snow Tuesday night into Wednesday afternoon, according to weather service office in Indianapolis. And northwest Arkansas could see 8 to 9 inches of snow through early Wednesday, the weather service office in Little Rock said.

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Winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories moved East throughout the day Tuesday and by 3 p.m. EST,  the warnings remained in effect for parts of nine states:

  • Texas

  • Oklahoma

  • Arkansas

  • Missouri

  • Illinois

  • Indiana

  • Ohio

  • Michigan

  • New York

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In addition,  almost 41.6 million people were under a winter weather advisory Tuesday afternoon, the weather service said, and a winter storm watch spread across multiple states in the Northeast.

High and dangerous winds, with threats of potential tornadoes, were also seen in the South.

Here's what you need to know:

Snow forecast for Tuesday

In addition to Indiana and Arkansas, states across the U.S. were forecast to see snow Tuesday and in the coming days.

Wind advisories in the South

States throughout the South aren’t seeing snowflakes, but Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and more are facing a wind advisory this week.  

The National Weather Service in Nashville, Tennessee said a wind advisory is in effect from 9 p.m. on Tuesday to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, with winds of 20 to 30 miles per hour, and gusts of up to 50 miles per hour expected in middle Tennessee.

The advisory stretched down to Texas, where a wind advisory is in effect until 6 p.m. on Tuesday in parts of South Texas. The area was expecting southwest winds of 25 to 30 miles per hour, with gusts of up to 40 miles per hour.

Winter storm watch extends into Northeast

Also on Tuesday, a winter storm watch extended into the Northeast U.S. – notably parts of Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.

People trek in the snow along Main Street on the Williams College campus in Williamstown, Mass., on Monday morning, as the region received its first significant snowfall of the season and the year.
People trek in the snow along Main Street on the Williams College campus in Williamstown, Mass., on Monday morning, as the region received its first significant snowfall of the season and the year.

As of Tuesday morning, more than 100,000 electric customers were without power in those states, the majority of which were in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts, according to tracker PowerOutage.us.

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Monday's snowfall in Maine, New Hampshire; more to come Wednesday

Heavy snow has already fallen in much of the Northeast, with storm totals exceeding one foot of snow in some areas as of Monday.

Parts of Maine and New Hampshire saw snowfall totals ranging from 2 to 17 inches in the system that plowed through the region earlier this week, the weather service office in Portland, Maine reported Monday night.

Some areas could see an additional 6 inches or more in the coming days, the Portland weather service office said Tuesday, noting that precipitation will "gradually switch to rain from south to north by Thursday morning."

The weather service in Boston also noted that more snowfall was expected across New England on Wednesday, with 4 to 6 inches expected in parts of northern Massachusetts from Wednesday into Thursday.

"This next storm will pack a 'front end punch,' with most accumulation occurring overnight," weather service Boston said.

Winter weather leads to car crashes, deaths

Heavy snowfall has also led to dangerous travel conditions – and fatal car crashes.

In New Hampshire, state police said they had responded to 90 "crashes and vehicles that have gone off the road" between 5 a.m. and 2 p.m. EST on Monday. Whiteout conditions and snow-covered roadways created "hazardous traveling conditions," police said.

Amid Monday's and Sunday's winter weather, fatal car crashes have been reported.

  • On Sunday evening, a 31-year-old Massachusetts man died in a wrong-way crash on Interstate-290, Massachusetts State Police said.

  • And in Rhode Island, a 25-year-old woman died in an Interstate-95 crash early Monday, NBC Boston and the Boston Globe reported.

School closures, delays across the US

Schools around the country braced for snow and winter weather by closing schools or making plans to shut down early.

Oklahoma City Public Schools shifted to virtual classes at home, the school district said in a Facebook post. In Texas, districts including the El Paso Independent School District were starting classes late Tuesday because of poor weather conditions, including the possibility of snow flurries, local outlet KTSM reported.

Some school systems are planning for closures or delays later in the week. Some West Virginia and Ohio schools were considering a late start to school Wednesday because of forecast snow, according to WTRF in Wheeling, West Virginia. 

– Nirvi Shah, USA TODAY

National winter weather forecast

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Winter storm warning puts snow in forecast Tuesday from NM to Ohio