OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Another storm system is affecting millions of people in the middle of the U.S., leaving parts of the Midwest and Great Plains under blizzard conditions and a broad swath of neighboring states at risk of high winds and wildfires.
Roughly 72 million people were under a wind advisory or warning Wednesday, with winds gusting over 45 mph, according to Bryan Jackson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center.
At this time of year, cold air lingering in the north collides with warm air coming in from the south to produce strong, low pressure systems, Jackson said. But Wednesday’s weather is the third storm system to rapidly develop in recent weeks and bring high winds to a large swath of the U.S., a “very active pattern” since February, Jackson said.
At least 42 people died over the weekend when dynamic storms unleashed tornadoes, blinding dust and wildfires — leaving behind uprooted trees and flattening hundreds of homes and businesses across eight U.S. states in the South and Midwest.
Snow for some
A band from southwestern Kansas up to central Wisconsin was expected to see as little as 2 inches (5 centimeters) of snow or as much as 1 foot (30 cm) Wednesday. Combined with high winds, forecasters warned of whiteout conditions.
The Kansas Department of Transportation closed more than 250 miles of Interstate 70 from the Colorado border east to Salina, Kansas, because of winter weather.
The first stretch to close — 39 miles between Goodland and Colby in western Kansas — was also impacted by last week’s high winds. Eight people died after a dust storm resulted in a pileup of 71 cars and trucks.
Blizzard conditions early Wednesday led to near-zero visibility in south central Nebraska, the state patrol said in a Facebook post urging people to stay off the roads. More than 160 miles of Interstate 80 cutting east from Lincoln west to Lexington was closed. By midday Wednesday, nearly 70 miles of Interstate 29 running along the border between eastern Nebraska and western Iowa had closed. Stalled cars, jackknifed semi-trailers, crashes and downed power lines contributed to road closures throughout the area.
Power outages affected households and businesses as heavy snow and high winds knocked down tree branches and led schools to cancel classes. Roughly 50,000 customers in Nebraska were without power Wednesday, as were roughly 25,000 in western and northern Iowa.
The sudden storm left many in the region with weather whiplash, following a springlike Tuesday with temperatures in some parts reaching beyond 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius).
High winds and risk of fires
Where it’s not snowing, there are still very strong winds. Gusts combined with dry conditions from Texas and Oklahoma up through Arkansas and central Missouri bring the potential for wildfires.
“Before plants are growing,” Jackson said, “there’s a lot of dry fuel out there.”
The fire threat ramped up Tuesday and persisted Wednesday in the region, with renewed risk in parts of Oklahoma still reeling from an outbreak of wildfires that started Friday. More than 400 homes were severely damaged or destroyed, and at least four people died due to the fires or high winds, including a person killed in a vehicle accident as a result of poor visibility due to dust or smoke, officials said.
The massive walls of dust that forced highway closures and resulted in power outages across New Mexico on Tuesday have blown through, but forecasters are warning that wind speeds will pick up and relative humidity levels will drop, making way for critical fire weather conditions on Thursday.
Fighting 50 mph wind gusts, crews worked Wednesday to build fire lines and mop up to keep one blaze near the small community of Mayhill from growing. The threats from two other fires elsewhere in the state had passed, forestry officials said.
