Winter Storm Blair A Major Snow And Ice Threat Across Central And Eastern US

Winter Storm Blair will bring a major blow to parts of the Plains, Midwest and Mid-Atlantic with blizzard conditions likely for some and a potent ice storm and heavy snow for others. Dangerous travel conditions are likely and icing could be heavy enough to damage trees and knock out power.

This system has been named Winter Storm Blair by The Weather Channel.

(MORE: 2024-25 Winter Storm Names)

Latest Status On Blair

The winter storm is currently spreading snow through the northern Rockies and parts of the Plains. Freezing rain is also falling in parts of Kansas and Missouri, including the Wichita area where frozen roads are already leading to crashes and slideoffs.

Snow and wintry mix will become more widespread in the Plains by late Saturday.

Winter Weather Alerts

A blizzard warning is now in effect for parts of the Central Plains, including much of the Kansas City metro area and Wichita and Topeka, Kansas. This is where strong winds and falling or blowing snow will limit visibility to white out conditions on Sunday. Travel in this area should wait until Monday.

A winter storm warning has been issued for much of DC, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia where heavy snow or a heavy mix of snow and ice is expected. This area includes DC, Kansas City, Louisville, St. Louis and Cincinnati. Travel in these regions will be dangerous and power outages are likely. A winter storm warning has also been issued across portions of Montana where gusty winds and blowing snow will lower visibilities.

An ice storm warning has been issued for southern portions of Illinois, Kentucky and Missouri. Significant icing is expected late Saturday into early Monday. Roads in this area will be impassable and power outages will occur.

(MORE: Why Snowfall Forecast Sometimes Change)

Timing

• Saturday-Saturday Night: Snow will impact the northern and central Rockies. Snowfall and some ice will also emerge into the Plains and increase into the evening, with wintry weather extending as far east as the mid-Mississippi valley overnight.

• Kansas City, St. Louis, and Wichita, Kansas, could all face increasingly hazardous travel conditions, especially later Saturday.

• Sunday-Sunday Night: Snow, potentially heavy at times, will stretch from Kansas to West Virginia during the day. Parts of the Central Plains may experience near-blizzard conditions. A wintry mess of sleet, freezing and snow is expected just south of the area of heaviest snowfall, from northeast Oklahoma and southeast Kansas to parts of the mid-Mississippi Valley, Ohio Valley and Appalachians.

• Wind gusts may reach 50 mph at times in parts of the Central Plains, leading to reduced visibility.

• Travel should be avoided throughout the areas where snow and ice are expected. That includes Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Louisville, St. Louis and Topeka.

• Sunday night, the storm’s wintry weather will have spread as far east as the mid-Atlantic region, including Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C., leading to increasingly hazardous travel.

• (15-min details: For even more granular weather data tracking in your area, view your 15-minute details forecast in our Premium Pro experience.)

• Monday: Commuters will likely face wintry travel conditions to start the morning of the new workweek in the mid-Atlantic. Snow will also continue to impact parts of the Ohio Valley and the Appalachians.

• Baltimore, Charleston, West Virginia, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Washington, D.C. are some of the locations that could have wintry travel conditions that prompt delays or closures.

• Monday night, wintry weather should eventually taper off from west-to-east, but leftover snow and ice on the ground could affect travel in some areas Tuesday morning.

• (192-hours: Further beef up your forecast with our detailed, hour-by-hour breakdown for the next 8 days – only available on our Premium Pro experience.)

How Much Snow And Ice To Expect

• At least 6 inches of snow is likely in the Central Plains and Midwest, especially in the darker purple shaded areas of the map below from northeast Kansas into parts of Missouri, central Illinois, southern Indiana and Ohio and possibly northern Kentucky. Some of those areas may exceed a foot of new snowfall where bands of snow persist.

• In the mid-Atlantic, at least light to moderate accumulating snowfall is possible. Portions of the Baltimore and Washington, D.C. metros may see up to 6 inches of snow. Lower amounts would occur if any sleet mixes in around the Washington, D.C. area. Farther north, Philadelphia could also see a few inches of accumulation.

• Ice in the form of sleet and freezing rain could be most problematic from central and southern Kansas into the Ohio Valley and Appalachians.

• Travel impacts are likely and freezing rain accumulations could be damaging for some areas. Locations in darker pink and purple on the map below may see at least some tree damage and scattered power outages.

• Check back for updates on weather.com and The Weather Channel app.

Chris Dolce has been a senior meteorologist with weather.com for over 10 years after beginning his career with The Weather Channel in the early 2000s.

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