Almost 14 million Americans were under various winter weather alerts on Sunday following the Thanksgiving holiday. The storm system stretched from the Great Plains to the Great Lakes on Sunday. A snowstorm was expected to stretch over the Rockies and Central Plains, as a single-day record of 2.9 million Americans flew home on Sunday following Thanksgiving.
The weather system is bringing with it below-normal temperatures which are expected between New Mexico and Kansas and from Oklahoma to the Upper Midwest beginning this week. Moderate to heavy snowfall is also expected to affect portions of these areas, including much of Kansas where on Sunday, a majority of roadways across the state were packed with snow and ice.
The state of Kansas could also experience winds as intense as 40 miles per hour (MPH). The change in temperature may come as a shock to those who experienced record-breaking heat just last month—the fifth straight month during which Earth’s temperatures hit a heat record measured above preindustrial levels.
According to one weather report, state police in Nebraska investigated at least two fatal car crashes in which three people died due to poor weather conditions. Meanwhile, the Wyoming State Highway Patrol responded to 125 car crashes in just 48 hours in the Western US state.
A large stretch of California experienced a Freeze Warning from Shasta Dam to Taft, while the San Francisco Bay Shoreline experienced a Coastal Flood Advisory, and Southern California, near Oxnard (just north of Los Angeles) was placed under a Wind Advisory according to the National Weather Service (NWS). Southwest Oregon and parts of Northern California were also placed under an Air Stagnation Advisory as well as Beach Hazards.
By Sunday morning, parts of Iowa had received up to four inches of snow, while areas of Missouri had received as much as 5.3 inches according to one report. Nebraska was also reported to have received 10 inches, while parts of Colorado were dumped with 10.5 to 23 inches.
Winter Storm Warnings were also in effect on Sunday for parts of the upper peninsula of Michigan, with other weather advisories in effect for parts of the Midwest and the Great Lakes, according to a report from the National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP). Parts of the upper peninsula of Michigan were also placed under a Gale Warning, Winter Weather Advisory, and a Hazardous Weather Outlook.
The NWS released a Special Weather Statement for Marquette, Michigan, warning that lake effect snow is expected to develop on Sunday night and continue until Tuesday, which could result in moderate accumulating snow. The Grand Rapids stretching north to Sault St. Marie were placed under a Winter Weather Advisory. Snow was also expected for Southeastern Michigan.
The NWS also placed Northern Ohio, Central Pennsylvania, and Western and Eastern New York under a Lake Effect Snow Warning. Parts of New York may also experience heavy snows with wind gusts as high as 35 miles per hour from Monday until Wednesday. Northern New Hampshire and Western Maine were placed under a Winter Weather Advisory, while the coast of Portsmouth, Portland, and Rockland were placed under a Coastal Flood Advisory for Monday from 8 AM to noon EST.