Meteorologists warn of ‘intense’ snow in Great Lakes states and record lows in South

CHICAGO AP Large swaths of the U S awaited one of the season s first blasts of wintry weather Sunday as temperatures dipped and snow fell in the Northern Plains snowstorms developed eastward across the Great Lakes and the South prepared for a big chill Flurries fell Sunday morning across parts of the Chicago area a precursor to intense snowfall forecast to start in the evening in communities surrounding Lake Michigan where the National Weather Operation issued a winter storm warning into Monday with wind gusts of up to miles kilometers and as a large number of as inches centimeters of snow This band is going to drop particular very heavy snow and certain hairy scenarios for the Monday morning commute commented weather utility meteorologist Kevin Doom in Romeoville Illinois As temperatures dropped across the nation s midsection meteorologists warned of hazardous voyage conditions through winter weather advisories for Michigan Indiana and Wisconsin Snow fell Sunday morning in Michigan s Upper Peninsula where meteorologists warning of low visibility with up to a foot by Monday In Indiana weather experts predicted up to inches centimeters of snow and slippery surfaces for road progress Up to inches centimeters of snow were predicted in parts of Wisconsin Patchy blowing snow and wind chills hovering near zero were expected in portions of Minnesota Nebraska and South Dakota Several areas got measurable fluff a day earlier including four inches of snow in southwest Minnesota and more than inches centimeters in slices of northern Iowa Cold weather warnings were issued for Ohio West Virginia and Kentucky with freezing temperatures predicted through Monday morning for a large swath of the South from Texas and Oklahoma to Alabama and Georgia Weather experts issued special guidance for gardeners saying the freeze warning means the growing season has ended Take efforts now to protect tender plants from the cold warned meteorologists in Arkansas Source