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

CHICAGO AP Large swaths of the U S prepared for 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 across parts of the Chicago area a precursor to intense snowfall forecast to start in the evening in communities surrounding Lake Michigan The National Weather System issued a winter storm warning into Monday predicting wind gusts of up to mph kph and as much as inches centimeters of quickly-falling precipitation along with thundersnow a condition when thunderstorms combine with snow This band is going to drop specific very heavy snow and several hairy scenarios for the Monday morning commute noted weather facility meteorologist Kevin Doom in Romeoville Illinois Meteorologists revealed conditions for road excursion in northeast Illinois would be dangerous to impossible from snow accumulating faster than inches centimeters per hour As temperatures dropped across the nation s midsection meteorologists warned of hazardous journey conditions through winter weather advisories for Michigan Indiana and Wisconsin Snow fell Sunday in Michigan s Upper Peninsula where meteorologists warned 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 passage 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 Specific areas got measurable fluff a day earlier including inches centimeters 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 attempts now to protect tender plants from the cold warned meteorologists in Arkansas