Winter Storm “Rex,” the latest storm named by The Weather Channel, is hitting the Midwest and will move to the Northeast Monday night and Tuesday.
On Monday, the “thundersnow” phenomena was sparked by Rex in Illinois, Iowa, and Indiana.
Wisconsin, Michigan, and northern Illinois will see 4 to 8 inches of snow--with 1 to 2 inches per hour in some areas. Snow has already started to fall in the Midwest.
In the Northeast, about 1 to 5 inches of snow is forecast for parts of West Virginia, northern Virginia, central Maryland, Delaware, and some areas north of that. New Hampshire and Maine could see 6 inches of snow.
In Chicago on Monday afternoon, the storm created whiteout conditions, AccuWeather.com reported.
“Even though the storm is forecast to move quickly, it will bring a moderate amount of snow or wintry mix to many communities from the Upper Midwest to the Northeast,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski was quoted as saying. “In most cases, the storm will last six hours or less, but a few locations can receive just as many inches of snow.”
Sosnowski added: “The storm has had a history of thunder and lightning with the snow, sleet and freezing rain in Illinois and part of Indiana, which is the sign of a vigorous system and the potential for brief bursts of snow farther to the east Monday night into Tuesday.”
Travel over the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes regions will be slowed, namely along I-70, I-71, I-75, I-79, I-80, I-90, and I-94, the website stated.
AP update for flight cancellations:
CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago’s two airports have canceled about 800 flights because of a snow storm that’s expected to dump up to 8 inches of snow in northern Illinois.
The Chicago Department of Aviation said in a recorded message on Monday that most of the cancellations were proactive.
The Illinois Department of Transportation said the storm was creating dangerous driving conditions and urged motorists to be careful.
The National Weather Service says the winter storm warning was in effect Monday for Illinois north of Bloomington to the Wisconsin state line. Forecasters say little or no snow is expected in southern Illinois because of higher temperatures.
Areas of northern Illinois were expecting up to 8 inches with 5 inches in central Illinois. Illinois State University canceled classes starting at 5 p.m. on Monday.
