Eastern Cornbelt:
After an initial round of snow brought 7-11 inches of accumulation to northern Illinois on Jan. 9-10, a second system was expected to hit much of the Eastern Cornbelt on Jan. 12-13 with a mix of rain and snow, gusty winds, and much colder temperatures.
Forecasts warned of several inches of snow and 30-50 mph winds in Illinois and Indiana over the weekend, followed by subzero temperatures in both states. Lows in Peoria, Ill., were expected to fall to -4 on Jan. 13 and -11 on Jan. 14, with highs struggling to break out of the single digits.Parts of northern Ohio and Michigan were bracing for 3-8 inches of snow by the weekend.
Western Cornbelt:
A winter storm swept nearly all of Iowa and Nebraska on Jan. 8-9, with heavy snow reported in both states. In Iowa, Iowa City collected around 15 inches, while Des Moines and Sioux City each saw roughly 11 inches of accumulation.
Nebraska also saw significant snowfall early in the week, including six inches in Lincoln, eight inches in Beatrice, and 13 inches or more in Columbus and Lewiston. Missouri was in the storm’s path as well, with 6-10 inches of snow reported in northern areas of the state, including 4-7 inches in the Kansas City area.
Another blizzard warning was posted for Jan. 12-13, with most of Iowa expecting 5-10 additional inches of snow along with 35-45 mph winds. Bitterly cold temperatures were moving in after the weekend snowfall, with record lows expected on Jan. 14-15, including -20 in Sioux City, -18 in Lincoln, and -12 in Kansas City.
Southern Plains:
Heavy snow and gusty winds from Winter Storm Finn pounded parts of the Southern Plains early in the week, dropping up to 10 inches of snow in western Kansas and producing blizzard conditions in Kansas, eastern Colorado, and New Mexico. Multiple road closures were reported due to drifting snow.
Another system was moving in later in the week, with record cold temperatures expected to follow. An inch of snow was reported across eastern Oklahoma on Jan. 12, while temperatures in Texas were expected to drop on Jan. 15 to record lows of 15 degrees in Dallas, 16 degrees in Austin, and 21 degrees in Houston.
South Central:
A powerful cold front was expected to bring rain and gusty winds to much of the South Central region by the weekend, followed by bitterly cold temperatures.
Forecasts warned of 1-2 inches of rain across Arkansas by the weekend, with the potential for an inch or two of snow in northwestern Arkansas, along with wind chills dipping to the single digits by early next week. Up to an inch of rain was possible in Middle Tennessee and southern Kentucky as well, with wind advisories posted for both states late in the week.
By Jan. 14-15, lows in Shreveport, La., were expected to drop to a record low of 15 degrees, along with ice, snow, sleet, and freezing temperatures for much of Mississippi.
Southeast:
A powerful system brought severe weather to much of the Southeast on Jan. 9, including heavy rain and damaging winds that caused power outages and prompted flood warnings and road closures across the region.
Up to five inches of rain were reported in the North Carolina mountains and 1-3 inches across much of the Carolinas, Georgia, and Virginia on Jan. 9, along with 45 mph winds. The strong storm also brought damaging winds and tornados to South Carolina and the Florida Panhandle on Jan. 9, causing extensive damage.
Another system was taking aim at parts of the region late in the week, with forecasts warning of more rain, strong winds, and possible tornados on Jan. 12. Much colder weather was moving in after those storms, with temperatures dropping to the 20s and 30s in the region.