First Major Snowstorm Pummels Midwest, Northeast

By Ivana Kvesic, Christian Post Reporter Friday, January 13, 2012

Although much of the continental United States has experienced an unusually mild winter season, the first major snow storm has hit the Midwest and Northeast bringing the much needed wet white powder to the region.

Snow covered parts of Wisconsin, Iowa, and Missouri before heading towards Illinois. Chicago faced as much as 8 inches of snow overnight and as much as 9 inches hit parts of northern Indiana.

The storm has contributed to dozens of accidents throughout the region and is attributed to three deaths in Missouri and Iowa.

The storm, which is currently pointing eastward, will likely hit Ohio and Pennsylvania with the National Weather Service having listed both states as current hazardous zones.

“A storm system will move from the Great Lakes through the northeastern U.S. today, bringing significant lake effect snows,” the National Weather Service reported on its Website.

“The heaviest accumulations will be from northeast Ohio through western New York state, or immediately east of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario,” the service added.

The weather service also placed residents in Cleveland, Ohio on a storm watch that will be in effect until 4 p.m. on Saturday. A weather advisory for Pennsylvania remains in effect until 7 p.m. Friday.

On Friday, communities in Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana were forced to shut down schools do to the heavy snow and forecasters predict that up to a foot of snow could fall around Lake Erie through Saturday.

The snow impacted hundreds of flights across the region on Thursday, as over 400 fights were canceled at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.

The popular city was under a winter storm watch until 2:47 a.m. on Friday. Although the heavy snow decreased in intensity by the early morning, commuters across the city faced delays due to heavy traffic, accidents, and ice. State police reported that nearly 50 car accidents occurred overnight during the heavy snowfall.

Now that the snowstorm has passed through Chicago, residents are concerned over a forecasted drop in temperatures expected to bring wind chills of 5-10 below on Saturday morning.