Extensive flight delays and cancelations were already occurring at airports in the Midwest and Northeast of the United States Sunday afternoon.
At Chicago O Hare Airport more than 1,500 flights have been delayed or canceled today, according to FlightStats.
An icy mix is also developing across the Northeast ahead of the snow, causing treacherous roadways conditions.
Snow will intensity across the lower Great Lakes and mid-Mississippi Valley through Sunday, impacting Chicago, Detroit and St. Louis.
The storm will also bring snow and slippery travel to much of the Ohio and Tennessee valleys Sunday through Sunday night, while ice concerns arise in the Northeast.
The heaviest snow is forecast to fall from St. Louis to Chicago, Indianapolis, Detroit, Cleveland and London, Ontario, where a half a foot or more of snow could fall.
ities that could be hit by a sudden period of blinding snow, plunging temperatures and a quick freeze include Memphis and Nashville, Tenn.; Louisville and Lexington, Ky.; Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio; Charleston and Morgantown, W.Va.; Pittsburgh and Bradford, Pa.; Jamestown and Rochester, N.Y.; and Toronto and Ottawa, Ontario. Travel along I-40, I-64 and I-65 could be difficult Sunday night.
As lake-effect blends in with the general storm, some bands of intense snowfall are likely.
According to Senior Meteorologist Dale Mohler, “Blizzard conditions may develop from eastern Ohio to West Virginia, western Maryland, western Pennsylvania Sunday night and Monday, and in western New York Monday into Tuesday.”
Whiteout conditions are possible in these areas with strong winds, plunging temperatures and heavy snowfall rates. The worst conditions are likely in New York state, just south of Buffalo and in the Tug Hill region, south of Watertown.
Temperatures in Chicago are not expected to exceed 10 below zero on Monday with Detroit experiencing afternoon highs just above zero Monday and Tuesday.
The last time Chicago was this cold was during early February of
“Major interstate highways including I-79, I-80, I-81, I-90 and Route 219 could close down for a time due to the intense conditions Monday into Tuesday,” Mohler added.
Some people could be caught off guard and stranded by the storm.
