National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Severe Thunderstorms and Heavy Rain Across the Central US; Wintry Mix in the Northern Plains and Northeast

Severe thunderstorms and flash flooding are possible across the central U.S. through Saturday. Large hail, damaging winds, and tornadoes are all possible. There is an increased threat for wildfire development in the southern to central High Plains. A wintry mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain are forecast across portions of the northern Plains and central New England into early Friday morning. Read More >

Overview

The first significant lake effect snow took place late Wednesday night through early Thursday morning. Widespread 3-6 inches of snow with pockets of 8-12 inches fell across the northwest wind lake effect snow belts. Strong winds, at times gusting more than 40 mph, caused considerable blowing snow especially over exposed roadways, leading to difficult driving conditions and multiple car accidents. Cold air invaded the region late Wednesday night into Thursday, leading to below-zero wind chill temperatures across much of the area.  This event signaled the beginning of the winter season to many.

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Visible satellite image from approximately 12:30 PM Thursday, 11/9, showing multiple lake effect snow bands across Lake Superior and Upper Michigan
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