Winter Weather Warnings for 17 States As up to 2 Feet of Snow Forecast

Seventeen states across the U.S. have been issued warnings and advisories for chilly weather as winter finally digs its claws into the country.
Parts of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado and a tiny portion of South Dakota have been given Winter Weather Advisories by the National Weather Service. Sections of Arizona, New Mexico, Washington, Texas, Oklahoma, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, and Nebraska have been given Freeze Warnings.
A handful of counties across Wisconsin and Minnesota have been issued a Winter Storm Watch, and parts of Oregon, Wyoming, and South Dakota are under Winter Storm Warnings.
“Moderate to heavy snow over parts of the Southern Cascades and Northern Intermountain Region,” the NWS said in a forecast discussion.
The majority of the warnings and advisories are in place until this morning, while some of them will last into Friday.
Large amounts of snow are forecast across the Winter Weather Advisory and Winter Storm Warning areas, especially at higher elevations.
Up to 2 feet of snowfall is forecast for the Oregon Cascades, with 15 to 18 inches expected in Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains and Wind River Mountains; 12 inches in Colorado’s many mountains; and as much as 20 inches in the Washington Cascades.
“Heavy snow expected above 5000 ft. Total snow accumulations 1 to 2 feet,” the NWS Medford, Oregon, office said.
Additionally, temperatures are expected to fall well below freezing in the areas affected by the Freeze Warnings. Temperatures may reach as low as 21 degrees Fahrenheit in parts of New Mexico, and 22 to 23 degrees Fahrenheit across portions of Colorado.
A Winter Weather Advisory is given if there is expected “any amount of freezing rain, or when 2 to 4 inches of snow (alone or in combination with sleet and freezing rain), is expected to cause a significant inconvenience, but not serious enough to warrant a warning,” the NWS added.
A Freeze Warning is issued when “significant, widespread freezing temperatures are expected,” and a Winter Storm Warning is issued “when a significant combination of hazardous winter weather is occurring or imminent.”
The NWS defines significant and hazardous winter weather as a combination of “5 inches or more of snow/sleet within a 12-hour period or 7 inches or more of snow/sleet within a 24-hour period,” as well as ice accumulation that may damage trees or power lines, and “a life threatening or damaging combination of snow and/or ice accumulation with wind.”
In the regions under the Winter Weather Advisories and Winter Storm Warnings, the NWS said that road conditions may be extremely slippery and hazardous.
“People should consider delaying all travel. If travel is absolutely necessary, drive with extreme caution. Consider taking a winter storm kit along with you, including such items as tire chains, booster cables, flashlight, shovel, blankets and extra clothing,” the NWS Billings, Montana, office said.
“Also take water, a first aid kit, and anything else that would help you survive in case you become stranded.”
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