Eastern Cornbelt:
Winter weather advisories were in effect for parts of the Eastern Cornbelt late in the week, with snowfall expected to total up to four inches in northern Illinois and 12-18 inches in northern Indiana.
The snowfall followed a period of bitterly cold temperatures earlier in the week, with highs topping out in the single digits and wind chills falling to double digits below zero in central and northern Illinois.
Parts of northern Ohio were bracing for 3-6 inches of snow on Jan. 18-19, with southern Michigan expecting 6-10 inches of accumulation. Highs were expected in the 20s in both states, with wind chills dropping to the teens or single digits.
Western Cornbelt:
A deep freeze blanketed most of the Western Cornbelt during the week. Iowans woke up on Jan. 15-16 to subzero lows and wind chills as low as minus 40.
Snow flurries on Jan. 18 dropped 2-3 inches across much of central Iowa, with another round of arctic cold expected by the weekend, with lows once again dropping to the single digits and wind chills falling to 15-20 degrees below zero. Snow and windchill warnings were also in effect in central and northern Missouri during the week.
Snow squalls pushed through eastern Nebraska as well on Jan. 18, along with gusty winds that caused blizzard conditions, resulting in multiple road closures across the state. Wind chills down to the negative 20s were expected on Jan. 20 in central Nebraska, but warmer weather was on tap for the following week.
California:
Breezy, wet weather was reported for much of California during the week. The prior weekend brought heavy snow to the Sierra Nevada and an inch or more of rain to the Sacramento Valley, with 1-2 feet of snow reported in the Sierra and southern Cascades.
Californians were bracing for another wet weekend on the way, with rainfall totals ranging from a half-inch to 2.7 inches in Southern California, along with more snow above 7,000 feet. Forecasts warned of minor flooding in some areas as a result, along with temperatures in the 60s and low-70s in Southern California and the 50s and low-60s in Northern California.
Pacific Northwest:
The Pacific Northwest experienced cold temperatures and a wintry mix of precipitation in mid-January. A powerful ice storm left nearly 90,000 customers in Oregon without power at midweek, with at least three deaths reported, prompting Oregon’s governor to declare a state of emergency for at least one county.
Steady rainfall was reported at lower elevations in Washington, while heavy snow fell at higher elevations in the Cascades and western Washington, with reports of 1-2 feet of accumulation possible at some locations. The snowfall impacted much of Idaho as well, with up to six inches reported in the Treasure Valley on Jan. 18.
Western Montana also saw heavy snowfall during the week, with up to 14 inches in the Flathead Valley, 5-10 inches in the Bitterroot Valley, and 3-6 inches in southwestern Montana. The snow followed bitterly cold temperatures, which dipped to the negative 20s for much of the state over the prior weekend.
Western Canada:
The week began with extreme cold warnings across most of Western Canada, with wind chills falling to the negative 40s and 50s C. Blizzard conditions were also reported across northern Manitoba over the prior weekend.
Slightly warmer weather was reported on Jan. 16-17, but snowfall warnings were in effect for southern Alberta on Jan. 17-18, with forecasts warning of 15-40 cm of accumulation, depending on location.
In British Columbia, heavy snowfall in Metro Vancouver and southwestern areas of the province caused school and business closures, power outages, and the cancellation of dozens of flights at Vancouver International Airport late in the week. Up to 39 cm of fresh snow was reported in Chilliwack, B.C., on Jan. 18, while Vancouver Island collected 21 cm.