Winter Storm Seneca Blasts into Midwest, Threatens to Bring Blizzard Conditions

Amaury · Feb 20, 2014

I don't understand why they're acting like it's an emergency. Twelve inches (a foot) is nothing.

There are images and videos in the source below.

Winter Storm Seneca Blasts into Midwest, Threatens to Bring Blizzard Conditions
Source: The Weather Channel
Published: February 20, 2014

The Weather Channel said:

Winter Storm Seneca muscled its way into the Midwest Thursday, carting heavy snow and vicious winds across the area. Some states were even bracing for blizzard conditions.

"The heaviest (snowfall) is going to be just to the east of Minneapolis proper," said Tom Niziol, winter weather expert for The Weather Channel. "As much as a foot and a half could fall in the U.P. of Michigan, and that combined with the winds is why we could get into blizzard conditions."

Wind damage is definitely a possibility overnight into Friday. Carl Parker, storm specialist with The Weather Channel, warned of a huge area of strong winds, 40 to 50 mph. "When you get up into that range, that's when you start losing power and you start getting some damage."

More than 700 U.S. flights were canceled Thursday, according to FlightAware. A bulk of the cancelations were at Chicago's O'Hare and Midway airports, as well as Minneapolis-St. Paul International. Southwest spokeswoman Michelle Agnew said all flights for the rest of the evening were canceled out of Midway Airport — the airline's biggest base.

Here's a rundown of the latest news from the areas that will be affected by Winter Storm Seneca.

Iowa
Several school districts opted to keep kids at home Thursday. Heavy snow began falling Thursday afternoon. By later Thursday, vicious winds will follow, which will make driving near impossible. Officials told the Des Moines Register that drivers will need to decide at that point if their travel is absolutely necessary, and if it is not, they should stay home. For an updated list of school closings, click here. Snow plows will be out in force to battle Seneca, and they can be tracked with the map below.

Kansas
Poor road conditions led to a closure of Interstate 70 in western Kansas Thursday morning as Seneca pushed east. The interstate reopened Thursday afternoon, but the road remains dangerous with reports of ice. South of I-70, wind gusts as high as 71 mph were reported Thursday morning near Garden City, and snow drifts up to 4 inches were reported in Goodland. In northwestern Kansas, the town of Hoxie reported 4 inches of new snowfall from Seneca, the highest total in the state.

Michigan
A wintry mix of freezing rain, snow and sleet is falling across parts of Michigan's Lower Peninsula and blizzard conditions are forecast in parts of the Upper Peninsula. The National Weather Service says fog also is expected to create potential hazards on Thursday, followed by winds near 50 mph on Thursday night in the southeastern part of the state. Melting snow and rain could cause flooding in areas where temperatures are above freezing. High winds are expected to continue into Friday. In the northern Lower Peninsula, a mix of rain, freezing rain and snow is expected. Colder weather is forecast for the weekend.

Seneca is temporary closing the popular ice caves near the Apostle Islands. According to the National Park Service, they will shut down at sunset Thursday because the weather could significantly affect Lake Superior ice conditions. Rangers will recheck the stability afterward.

Minnesota
Snow started falling in Minneapolis around midday Thursday and continued during the evening rush hour. In Mankato, 5 inches of snow had fallen before 6 p.m. A trained spotter measured 5.5 inches of snow in Waconia, and more than 4 inches of snow had fallen in Monticello. Schools in southern Minnesota closed Thursday, including Rochester, Winona and Faribault as heavy snow and strong winds moved into the region. Minneapolis Public Schools canceled all after-school and evening activities and meetings because of the weather. Minnesota State, Mankato canceled evening classes.

Minneapolis, St. Paul and many surrounding suburbs declared snow emergencies. No travel was advised in southeastern Minnesota because of blowing snow.

The hazardous weather prompted Sen. Al Franken to move a public discussion on the severe propane shortage from Mankato to St. Paul on Thursday, according to a Minneapolis Star-Tribune report.

Nebraska
Snow had pulled out of Nebraska by midday, but earlier Thursday, visibilities had dropped to a half-mile at times, according to the Nebraska Radio Network. The dangerous winds will persist into the evening, with possible gusts up to 45 mph.

Wisconsin
A powerful Winter Storm Seneca moving into Wisconsin is packing a mix of rain, sleet and snow. Forecasters expect travel to become increasingly difficult throughout the day with the heaviest snow arriving Thursday afternoon. A foot of snow is possible in western and north-central Wisconsin. Winds in the 25 to 35 mph range could create whiteout conditions. The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse is canceling afternoon and evening classes and closed business offices at noon Thursday. Whitehall, Chippewa Falls and Bloomer schools are among those also closing early Thursday. Gov. Scott Walker has declared a state of emergency in advance of the storm.
Click to expand...

Lauriam · Feb 21, 2014

Hmm, sounds to me like the winds are the bigger problem. In flat country like that, there's not a lot of windbreak, so the winds can get pretty crazy. Plus, even though it does snow down there, not a lot of people are prepared for conditions of that nature. If a person doesn't have the right kind of tires, for example. Or if a person isn't used to driving in snow-storm conditions. If they're not used to it, there can be a lot of mishaps and actual accidents due to low visibility or sliding on the snowy roads. Add in the heavy winds and you can have major problems. The foot of snow, which, granted, isn't much to people who live in naturally snowy environments, could move fast enough in major winds so that you can barely see the car in front of you. Besides, the wind makes things cold! Like, bitterly cold! I don't know a lot about most of those places, but I lived in Ohio right up near Michigan for awhile when I was a kid, and even though the snow we got was nothing compared to some places I've lived, the winters were much much colder. It's the windchill.

So, I think those might be some of the reasons they're taking this so seriously. A lack of preparation, the heavy winds coming in, and the bitter cold that slaps you in the face. I know I wouldn't want to spend much time out of doors on Thursday.

. : tale_wind · Feb 26, 2014

A foot and a half in the UP? Pshhhh, that's nothing.

Log in or Sign up

Winter Storm Seneca Blasts into Midwest, Threatens to Bring Blizzard Conditions

Amaury Chaser

Premium

Lauriam I hope I didn't keep you waiting...

. : tale_wind Ice to see you!

Moderator