Winter Storm Blair has prompted blizzard and winter storm warnings for millions as it spreads heavy snow and ice from the Plains to the Midwest and mid-Atlantic through Monday. Travel will likely be snarled across multiple states and icing could be heavy enough to damage trees and knock out power.
Latest Status On Blair
The winter storm is spreading snow and ice from the Plains to portions of the Ohio Valley, as seen in the radar snapshot below.
Thunder accompanied a mix of freezing rain, sleet and snow in central Kansas early Sunday, including Wichita.
See our live updates page at this link for full updates on the storm’s impacts.
Current Radar
Winter Weather Alerts
Blizzard warnings are in effect for parts of the Central Plains, including the Kansas City metro area and Wichita and Topeka, Kansas. This is where strong winds and falling or blowing snow will limit visibility to whiteout conditions at times through early Monday.
Elsewhere, winter storm snow warnings for snow and/or ice stretch from the mid-Mississippi and Ohio valleys to the mid-Atlantic. Those warnings include Baltimore, Cincinnati, Louisville, Kentucky, St. Louis and Washington, D.C.
In all of these areas, travel should be avoided until the storm has passed.
An ice storm warning is also in effect from southern Missouri to southern portions of Illinois and western Kentucky. Icing in this area could damage trees and power lines, resulting in power outages that might last for days.
(MORE: Why Snowfall Forecast Sometimes Change)
Timing
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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.
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Wind gusts may reach 50 mph at times in parts of the Central Plains, leading to reduced visibility and blizzard conditions.
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Travel should be avoided throughout the areas where snow and ice are expected. That includes Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Louisville, St. Louis and Topeka.
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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.
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(15-min details: For even more granular weather data tracking in your area, view your 15-minute details forecast in our Premium Pro experience.)
Sunday’s Forecast
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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.
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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. Travel should be avoided.
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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.
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(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.)
Monday’s Forecast
How Much Snow And Ice To Expect
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At least 6 inches of snow is likely in the Central Plains and Midwest, especially in the darker purple and pink shaded areas of the map below from northeast Kansas into parts of northern 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.
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In the mid-Atlantic, at least moderate accumulating snowfall is expected. Portions of the Baltimore and Washington, D.C. metros may see up to 8 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.
Snowfall Forecast
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Ice in the form of sleet and freezing rain could be most problematic from southern Missouri to southern Illinois, southern Indiana, Kentucky and the Appalachians.
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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 power outages. Widespread power outages are possible in the areas under ice storm warnings mentioned earlier.
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Check back for updates on weather.com and The Weather Channel app.
Probability Of 0.10″ Or Greater Icing
Recap Of Blair Saturday
Freezing rain slowed travel in parts of Kansas and Missouri, including the Wichita and Kansas City metro areas where frozen roads caused crashes and slideoffs.
The Kansas City airport was temporarily closed late Saturday and parts of Interstate 70 were closed Saturday afternoon.