Updated Oct. 31, 2019 9:21 AM
A winterlike storm continued to unload snow over the Midwest on Thursday, making Halloween feel more like Christmas in many areas.
The same storm system that brought snow and cold to the Rockies earlier this week tracked across the central United States into early Thursday morning, unleashing heavy snowfall, fierce winds and brutal cold. Moderate to heavy snowfall will occur from eastern Iowa, northeastern Kansas, Illinois and southern Wisconsin as the storm strengthens throughout the day Thursday.
Up to 5 inches of snowfall has already buried parts of Iowa on Thursday morning, leaving roads in central and eastern parts of the state snow-covered and slick, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT).
Eastern and southeastern Iowa were looking wintry on Thursday morning, Oct. 31, 2019. (Iowa DOT)
More than 240 plows were out in force across eastern and southeastern Iowa on Thursday morning as snow thumped across the area, Iowa DOT tweeted. However, officials cautioned that roads may still be slippery and people should "buckle up, slow down and allow extra space between vehicles."
On Wednesday, Chicago experienced its earliest snow day in the season where an inch or more fell since Oct. 20, 1989. It was also only the 10th inch-plus snow day to occur so early in the season, according to the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Chicago. A record snowfall of 1.2 inches was recorded at Chicago O'Hare International Airport on Wednesday, breaking the old record of 0.7 of an inch set way back in 1923.
Meanwhile, much colder air will rush in as the storm evolves. Temperatures near freezing will allow an area of rain to mix with and change over to snow.
"This transition will take place in northern and central locations of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan into this afternoon," Ryan Adamson, AccuWeather meteorologist, said.
Snow will continue into Thursday evening across Michigan.
Snowfall from eastern Iowa and southern Wisconsin to northern Michigan will accumulate 3 to 6 inches. The AccuWeather Local StormMax™ is 14 inches.
Where snowfall rates will be generally be light, accumulation may not occur on roads initially. As the storm intensifies into Thursday night, snow-covered roads are expected to result in slippery travel conditions and delays. In areas where this is the first snowfall of the year, snow may stick to roads quicker where a layer of salt hasn't developed yet.
Wet snow can stick to trees and power lines and weigh them down. Any areas that still have many leaves on the trees will be more susceptible to damage. However, a significant windstorm will also accompany this system, which will help to knock many leaves off the trees.
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As the storm continues to wrap up and shift to the northeast, snow will continue to shift eastward.
"By this evening, much of Lower Michigan will see snow, and snow will also fall in northern Indiana and northern Ohio," continued Adamson. "The exceptions may be right along the shores of the Great Lakes, as a mix of rain and snow or even just rain may fall, since the lakes are still warm."
Through the rest of the night, snow will gradually come to an end in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois.
While snow is expected to fall across northern Indiana and Ohio, accumulations are forecast to be minimal as the storm will begin to race away to the northeast through late in the night.
Snow is expected to end quickly across Michigan on Friday morning as the storm continues to pick up speed. However, another blast of snow and cold is expected to target the Great Lakes this weekend.
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