Cross-country storm unleashes a blizzard and fuels wildfires in the Plains while threatening tornadoes in the Midwest

(CNN) — A powerful storm system is producing whiteout conditions in portions of the central United States and nearly 7 million people are under a tornado watch as residents in parts of the Plains remain under a threat for dangerous wildfires.

It isn’t a carbon copy of last week’s deadly, cross-country storm but will once again spawn severe thunderstorms and potential tornadoes, and its winds could trigger additional fast-moving fires.

The storm reached the Plains early Wednesday morning and strengthened considerably as it tracked into the Midwest in the afternoon.

Wind will be the most widespread threat, with gusts stronger than 40 mph expected from Texas to Minnesota. These winds could be capable of damaging trees and power lines.

Blizzard conditions return, causing power outages and road closures

A blizzard knocked out power and made travel treacherous in parts of the Plains and Midwest Wednesday.

Snow began in the central US Tuesday night but picked up in intensity as the storm strengthened. Spots caught under the heaviest snowfall from far eastern Nebraska to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula could experience more than half a foot of snow through Wednesday night.

A few inches of March snow aren’t typically dangerous enough to cause significant disruptions in the Plains and Midwest, but conditions worsen when paired with prolonged gusty winds.

Around 195,000 homes and businesses were without power Wednesday evening with Nebraska, Missouri and Arkansas experiencing the most outages amid the snow and winds, according to PowerOutage.us.

Multiple stretches of Interstate 80 in Nebraska and portions of other state roadways were closed due to blizzard conditions, crashes, fallen trees and downed powerlines, according to the state’s department of transportation.

Travel issues extended well beyond Nebraska. About 250 miles of I-70 was shut down in Kansas from Salina to the border with Colorado, according to Kansas’s transportation department.

Part of I-29 in Iowa was also closed Wednesday amid “extremely hazardous” travel conditions, the Iowa State Patrol warned.

Blizzards occur when snow and strong winds combine and create whiteout conditions for a few hours. Whiteout conditions — like dust storms — make it incredibly hard to see more than a few feet ahead.

Travel in these conditions could be “treacherous and potentially life-threatening,” warned the National Weather Service in Des Moines, Iowa.

Blizzard warnings are in effect Wednesday for more than 600 miles from eastern Colorado to southern Minnesota.

Another round of severe thunderstorms

Thunderstorms rumbled to life Wednesday afternoon in parts of the Midwest – and some will become severe. The storms will stretch to the Gulf Coast by the evening.

The severe thunderstorm threat is nowhere near as significant or widespread as the tornado outbreak spawned by the deadly storm this past weekend, but storms could hinder recovery efforts where people are trying to pick up the pieces and threaten some of the same areas impacted Friday.

Illinois is under a level 3 of 5 risk of severe thunderstorms from the afternoon through the evening, according to the Storm Prediction Center. Other parts of the Midwest are also likely to see damaging storms.

Damaging wind gusts, hail and tornadoes are possible in the area Wednesday. A few tornadoes, including some strong EF2-plus ones, could occur, especially during the afternoon.

At least one tornado had already tracked near Lewistown in northern Illinois by mid-afternoon Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. Several other tornadoes were spotted in the state Wednesday afternoon, but no major damage was reported, officials said.

A tornado watch is in effect until 9 p.m. CDT for much of Illinois, western Indiana and far eastern Iowa, according to the Storm Prediction Center. Nearly 4 million people, including Davenport, Iowa, and Springfield and Peoria, Illinois, are included in the watch.

The thunderstorms also disrupted air traffic in Chicago Wednesday afternoon, with a ground stop in effect for Chicago O’Hare International Airport for more than an hour, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Storms will also stretch through Tennessee and into parts of Mississippi and Alabama into the overnight, and some could be severe. Strong wind gusts and hail are the main threats.

Wildfires, dust storms tear through south-central US, and fire threat remains

Powerful winds roared over parts of the southern Rockies and Plains on Tuesday and continued Wednesday, ramping up the risk of wildfire spread to its highest level.

A large portion of Arkansas is facing extreme fire danger Wednesday as several grassfires spread across the state, the National Weather Service Little Rock Office said.

Wednesday’s winds flared up additional fires and caused travel issues of their own. High winds forced a brief ground stop at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport Wednesday afternoon, and there are delays upwards of an hour, according to the FAA.

Hurricane-force wind gusts up to 80 mph were widespread from New Mexico to Oklahoma, and even reached 101 mph in southern New Mexico Tuesday.

Fires in multiple parts of Oklahoma prompted evacuations Tuesday night and early Wednesday. Evacuation orders were in effect Wednesday morning for parts of Roger Mills County, Logan County — northeast of Oklahoma City — and Pawnee County — west of Tulsa.

More than 130 wildfires broke out in the state over the weekend and killed four people and damaged at least 400 homes, the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management said.

Several new fires started in Texas on Tuesday including the “Double S Fire” near the panhandle city of Borger, which prompted evacuations Tuesday night. Evacuation orders were lifted early Wednesday but the area remained smoky, the city confirmed on social media.

A brush fire in Dallam County – located in the far northern Texas Panhandle – rapidly grew to 15,000 acres Tuesday, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.

Blazes also broke out in New Mexico. Residents in Otero County, north of US Highway 82, between mile markers 31 and 33 were evacuated late Tuesday as fire agencies responded to a vegetation fire, CNN affiliate KOAT reported.

In Bosque Farms, a village south of Albuquerque, New Mexico, a brush fire ignited on Tuesday, causing part of Highway 47 to shut down, KOAT reported.

“The fire was able to move through a field, into some heavier brush, then got into some structures,” Valencia County Fire Chief Matt Propp told KOAT. “We’re not sure how many structures were involved at this time, possibly two.”

“On days like this, any source of heat will cause fires like this, and these fires explode. These are the type of fires where we won’t put our personnel in front because of how fast it’s moving,” said Propp.

Fire risks will persist for much of the week in the tinder-dry southern Plains.

Strong winds also kicked up dirt and debris on Tuesday, creating blinding dust storms with little to no visibility. Dust storm warnings were issued Tuesday for parts of New Mexico, Texas and Kansas.

Significant dust storms with visibility of less than a mile blew through the Albuquerque, New Mexico, area while “horrible conditions and visibility” were observed in the central and eastern portions of the state, according to the National Weather Service.

The Albuquerque-Bernalillo County Air Quality Program issued a health alert until 8 p.m. Tuesday, warning residents to limit outdoor activity. The dust also closed roads –– including a nearly 130-mile stretch of highway from Arizona to the outskirts of Las Cruces, according to the New Mexico Department of Transportation.

“There is no safe place on a highway when a dust storm hits,” the National Weather Service in El Paso, Texas, warned Tuesday.

At least eight people in Kansas and four people in Texas were killed in car crashes Friday when dust storms blotted out the sky and sent visibilities to near zero.

The-CNN-Wire
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