CHICAGO — Around 20 million people across the West and Midwest are under winter alerts Saturday as a fast-moving storm delivers heavy snow, strong winds and blasts of cold that is blanketing cities like Chicago.
On Saturday morning, snow showers were scattered over parts of the northern Plains and Rockies, from Montana to the Dakotas. This precipitation is expected to persist through the day, with snow gradually shifting into Iowa and Minnesota by the afternoon. The risk area includes Des Moines, Iowa; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Aspen, Colorado; and Jackson, Wyoming.
By nighttime, a burst of snow and wintry mix will shift into Illinois, Missouri and Wisconsin. This quick blast of winter weather will affect the area, including Chicago, through the overnight hours.
People braving the cold in Chicago on Saturday morning were bundled up in multiple layers of clothing as they walked the snowy streets.
"This is early for us to have this much snow and these temperatures, so we're kind of bracing ourselves for a rough one this year," resident Catherine Karwowski told NBC News.
Katie Jones said she recently moved to Illinois from Texas and she's bracing for her first winter there.
"Just got the big coat, arrived today," Jones said.
Brielle Trostley, visiting Chicago from Florida, said she is struggling to adapt to the cold, but is savoring the novelty of the snow.
"Just to see everything covered in white all the time, that's pretty new for me, because I've never seen snow before," Trostley said.
The snow will extend into parts of Michigan, Indiana and Ohio while lingering over Illinois on Sunday morning. This system will move relatively quickly, reaching the interior Northeast by Sunday night.
Snow showers will linger over the region through Sunday night before tapering off Monday morning.
The highest snow totals will target the mountains, where parts of Wyoming, Utah, Montana and Colorado could see an additional 5 to 12 inches, with up to 20 inches possible in some areas. The snow combined with 60 mph wind gusts will make mountain travel very difficult through the weekend.
As of 2 p.m., snowfall totals reached 10 inches in Mount Crested Butte, Colorado; 5.4 inches in Orogrande, Idaho; and 3.4 in West Valley, Montana.
Video from Utah's Department of Transportation showed snow-covered roads in the north-central region of the state Friday evening.
Forecasters expect 2 to 5 inches of snow across a swath of the Midwest from the Dakotas through Lake Michigan, including Chicago. Around 6 to 8 inches of snow will be possible over Iowa.
Freshly powdered landscapes could be seen across Iowa in Iowa City, Dakota City and Sioux City on Saturday morning.
Totals across the interior Northeast will be minor, with most seeing a dusting of up to 1 inch. Forecasters expect 2 to 4 inches over western New York.
Cold air mass takes hold
Temperatures will remain on the cooler side for the Rockies, the Plains, the Northeast and parts of the Southeast on Saturday afternoon, with highs 5 to 20 degrees below average. Daytime highs will range from the single digits in the northern Plains, to the 20s to 50s across the Midwest, Southeast and Northeast.
Overnight lows will dip below zero across the northern Plains, and as low as the 10s to 20s across the Midwest, Rockies, Appalachians and Northeast. Despite the chill, no record lows are forecast for Saturday.
On Sunday, the bulk of cold air will sit over the Plains, with daytime highs 10 to 25 degrees below average. This will especially affect Minnesota, the Dakotas and Iowa, where highs will stay in the single digits and teens.
Active week in the Northwest
A series of strong Pacific storms fueled by an atmospheric river will bring a risk of widespread flooding to parts of Washington and Oregon through the week.
Flood alerts will go into effect for the western half of these states, including Seattle and the Oregon cities of Portland and Eugene starting Sunday night and lasting through Friday. Rounds of heavy rain will affect the region over the next week, bringing 2 to 6 inches of rain, with up to 10 inches possible in some areas.
Snow levels in this region will climb above 6,000 to 7,500 feet. Prolonged threats include landslides, burn scar flash flooding and coastal flooding.
Rain in the Southwest
Meanwhile in the Southeast, a line of moderate to heavy rainfall continues to linger from the Gulf Coast through the Carolinas.
No severe weather is anticipated, but periods of heavy rain could lead to localized flash flooding. This pattern will persist through the weekend, with rainfall totals ranging from 0.5 to 2 inches.
