The snow is expected to come mainly in two waves lasting about 48 hours in total, according to Mark Frazier, a meteorologist with the Weather Service in northern Indiana. “A typical storm is 12 to 16 hours,” he said.
Chicago is bracing for two rounds of snow, the brunt of which is expected Wednesday, just after midnight, until midday, according to Gino Izzi, a Weather Service meteorologist there.
“It’s kind of a one-two punch from the storm,” Casey Sullivan, another meteorologist with the Weather Service in Chicago, said. While north of O’Hare Airport may see only an inch or two of snow, he said, the South Side and nearby suburbs could get eight to 12 inches, Mr. Sullivan said.
The Illinois Department of Transportation warned people on Monday that there would be “significant ice accumulations and heavy rain” in the southern part of the state over the next few days.
In Michigan, nine to 16 inches of snow is expected starting around 2 a.m. Wednesday through 11 p.m. Thursday, and a winter storm warning will be in effect at that time in several counties, including Van Buren, Kalamazoo, Calhoun and Jackson Counties, the Weather Service announced.
“This will be a prolonged period of snow,” the Weather Service warned residents in those areas. The precipitation will start as rain late Tuesday and turn into snow later, with the heaviest snowfall expected by Wednesday afternoon, the Weather Service said. By early Thursday morning, “it could be snowing nearly an inch an hour,” it said.
It’s the latest winter storm to hit the United States this year. A snowstorm over the weekend from North Carolina to New England dumped nearly two feet of snow in Boston, tying a single-day record set in 2003.
