Winter Storm Warning Chicago: Expect 5-10 Inches of Snow; Illinois Governor Issues 'Disaster Proclamation'

A huge winter storm, bringing snow from Denver to Chicago and ice from the South to the Northeast, approaches the United States.

From St. Louis to Indianapolis and Detroit to Cleveland, snow accumulations of 6 inches to 1 foot are likely, as well as sleet and freezing rain. From Chicago to Denver, thousands of flights have been canceled.

Major winter storm hits from Denver to Chicago

A winter storm warning has been issued for Chicago, with 5 to 10 inches of snow expected. The governor of Illinois, JB Pritzker, has proclaimed a "disaster declaration" and ordered the Illinois National Guard to mobilize at least 100 troops.

A winter storm warning has been issued in Denver, with up to 6 inches of snow expected. Due to the storm, Denver schools will be closed on Wednesday. Governor Mike Parson has declared a state of emergency in Missouri. On Missouri's Interstate 70, lanes have backed up in both ways.

From Memphis to Louisville, an ice storm warning was issued further south. The ice may be as thick as a half-inch by Thursday morning, causing trees to fall over power lines and making roadways extremely unsafe. Dallas has also been issued a winter storm warning, with a wintry mix of 1 to 3 inches of snow and sleet, as well as freezing rain, expected.

The heavy snow will cover everywhere from Texas to St. Louis to Indianapolis to Cleveland to Buffalo by Thursday morning. Extremely ice conditions are forecast across Texas and Arkansas on Thursday, as well as up to Cincinnati and Pittsburgh on Friday, according to ABC News.

Cook, DuPage, Kendall, Grundy, Will, LaSalle, Kankakee counties, as well as all of Northwest Indiana counties, are all subject to the alert. Northern Cook County, as well as Lake, DuPage, Kane, and DeKalb counties, are under a winter weather alert for the same period.

Heavy snow will be expected through midday Wednesday, especially in regions south and east of The Loop. According to First Alert Weather forecasts, locations south of the Loop could get up to 12 inches of snowfall. Tonight through tomorrow, lake effect bands will be built up, with several extra inches likely near the lake's shoreline, as per CBS Chicago.

Winter storm blasts the central US with snow

From the Rockies to the Northeast, a huge winter storm began its threat on the central United States on Wednesday, a sweeping system that threatened to bring a slew of snow and freezing rain to tens of millions of people. Because of the storm, hundreds of flights were canceled, governors asked citizens to remain off the highways, and colleges were shuttered.

The hurricane swept through major cities, including Dallas, Chicago, St. Louis, Indianapolis, and Detroit. According to the National Weather Service, around 100 million people in the United States were under a weather alert as of Wednesday afternoon.

Per FlightAware.com, more than 2,000 flights scheduled for Wednesday were canceled. As a broad ice danger develops, power outages, tree damage, and significant interstate closures are all conceivable, according to AccuWeather. There might be ice accumulations of up to 0.25 inches, posing a risk of power lines being knocked down.

Nearly a year after a devastating frost crippled the state's electricity infrastructure, causing one of the worst blackouts in US history, Texas Governor Greg Abbott defended the state's preparedness. Unlike the storm in February 2021, the prognosis did not call for the same long-term and freezing temperatures, AZCentral reported.