A major winter storm this weekend could bring blizzard conditions, record snow, high winds and dangerous travel conditions to parts of the upper Midwest and Great Lakes, then will deliver a blast of winds and cold air to much of the East and South.
This weekend storm has been named Winter Storm Iona by The Weather Channel.
Straight out of the textbook for wild swings in March weather, this winter reality check will follow on the heels of asevere weather outbreakand spell of record warmth in the central and eastern U.S. that will now intensify intoa record March heat wave in the Southwest.
(MORE:March Is A Frustrating Weather Month)
First, A Wintry Teaser
Before we get to the weekend storm, a wintry system is blasting the Midwest with high winds and some snow after whipping the Northwest, northern Rockies and Plains with high winds Thursday.
Wind gusts up to 123 mph were clocked in the northern Rockies — in the Tetons just north of Jackson, Wyoming — Thursday, along with six other gusts of over 100 mph in Montana and Wyoming. Cheyenne, Wyoming, had a peak gust to 92 mph,their strongest on record since the mid-1990s, according to the National Weather Service.
There were about three dozen reports of wind damage received by the NWS from Washington state to Colorado and Nebraska, Thursday.
High wind warnings continue Friday in parts of the Rockies, Midwest, Great Lakes and Appalachians, where gusts of 55 mph or higher could lead to some tree damage and power outages.
The heaviest snow accumulations with this first system, on the order of 6 inches, is expected in the northern Great Lakes from northeast Minnesota to northern Michigan.
Weekend Blizzard
An even stronger storm with more widespread, heavier snow is forecast for this weekend.
By late Saturday, a broad area of snow will blanket the Northern Plains, Northern Rockies and Great Lakes.
Sunday a strong low pressure system will surge into the Mississippi Valley with widespread snow, some ice and strong winds.
Ahead of the sharp cold front, a line of severe thunderstorms is expected from eastern Texas to the Ohio Valley, including areas just hit by severe weather this week.
(MAPS:7-Day US Snow, Rain Forecast)
Sunday night and Monday, the strong low will shove the cold front rapidly into the East.
Precipitation may change from rain to a quick burst of snow in the Ohio Valley and Appalachians. Along much of the East Coast, this will be a rain event, with strong to severe thunderstorms packing damaging winds possible from parts of the Northeast to the Carolinas.
Strong winds are expected to persist in much of the Midwest and East into Monday, with power outages possible, especially near the Great Lakes.
How Much Snow
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In parts of the upper Midwest, this could be arecord-setting snowstorm.
From parts of southern Minnesota into central and northern Wisconsin, far northern Lower Michigan and Upper Michigan, over a foot of snow looks likely. In fact, some of these areas may see 18 to 24 inches of snow, or locally more, from this storm, in the areas shaded in pink in the map below. That could include Green Bay, Marquette and Mackinac Island.
Accoring to NOAA records, this could flirt with or break 2-day snowstorm records in some locations ofnortheast Wisconsin,eastern Upper Michigan and extreme northern Lower Michigan.
Snow could fall at the rate of 2 inches per hour or more Sunday and Monday, accompanied by strong winds. This could lead to extremely dangerous, if not impossible, travel conditions. If you plan to travel in this timeframe in the western Great Lakes and upper Midwest, you should consider either delaying or canceling those plans.
If that wasn't enough, there also could be a band of freezing rain and sleet for a time from parts of extreme northern Iowa and southern Minnesota into southern Wisconsin and Lower Michigan Sunday, before changing to rain, then back to snow. This could lead to some ice accumulations that could make roads slippery.
These strong winds, heavy snow and some ice accumulations could also lead to tree damage and power outages that could become widespread.
(MORE:6 Things To Know About Snow Forecasts)
Cold, For A While
Forecast Low-lights
That weekend blizzard will pull down a fresh supply of cold air from Canada beginning this weekend that will have staying power into St. Patrick's week.
Sunday, that cold will nosedive southward into the Plains. Monday, that cold air will have reached the northern Gulf Coast. Tuesday, that cold air will have swept through the East, including Florida.
Monday, highs will be stuck in the teens, 20s and 30s in much of the Midwest. St. Patrick's Day will be stuck in the 20s and 30s in most of the Northeast and Midwest, while the Southeast shivers in the 40s and 50s, for the most part.
Some subzero lows are possible in parts of North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula Monday and Tuesday. Much of the Deep South, including parts of far northern Florida, is forecast to dip below the freezing mark Tuesday and Wednesday morning.
(MAPS:10-Day US Forecast Highs/Lows)
How Long Will It Last?
If you've had enough of winter weather, especially following the recent warmth, we do have some good news.
Warmer air should work its way eastward in the Plains by the middle of next week, then may ooze farther east later next week.
However, some longer-range models are suggesting some chillier air may spill back into parts of the Midwest and Northeast during the week of March 23.
So goes, March, right?
Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him onBluesky,X (formerly Twitter)andFacebook.