Winter storm in the US: What states are affected by snow and severe weather?
A strong low pressure system over the Midwest is producing hazardous conditions across the nation with numerous weather advisories and warnings issued.
Cold temperatures and snow are creating dangerous conditions around the country. The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued dozens of alerts. If you live in an affected area, it is advised that you take the proper precautions to stay safe. We have compiled all of the current winter alerts and for the full details, check out the NWS website.
What is a Winter Weather Advisory?
The NWS issues a Winter Weather Advisory “for 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.” For the details, please review the information uploaded to the NWS website, which compiles and updates these alerts.
What is a Winter Storm Warning?
The more severe alert issued by the NWS is a Winter Storm Warning, which includes “heavy snow of at least six inches in 12 hours, or at least eight inches in 24 hours, is expected. It can also be issued if sleet accumulation will be at least half an inch.”
What is a Freezing Fog Advisory?
The NWS issues a Freezing Fog Advisory when visibility is below one mile in freezing fog. Low visibility can make driving conditions hazardous. Freezing fog will also lead to icy spots on roadways, especially on elevated surfaces such as overpasses and bridges.
What is an Ice Storm Warning? A Blizzard Warning?
The NWS also issues other severe weather alerts: one is called an Ice Storm Warning, where ice accumulation of at least one-fourth of an inch is expected, while a Blizzard Warning is given when blizzard conditions are expected for at least three hours.
Alaska:
Winter Weather Advisory:
- Eastern Beaufort Sea Coast: In effect until 6 am AKST Tuesday
Arkansas:
Winter Weather Advisory:
- Portions of north-central and northwest Arkansas: In effect until 3 pm CST Tuesday
California:
Winter Weather Advisory:
- Del Norte Interior County: In effect from 6 am Tuesday to 4 pm PST Wednesday
- Coast Range, Burney Basin and Shasta County Mountains above 2500 feet including portions of Interstate 5: In effect from 10 pm Tuesday to 4 pm PST Wednesday
- Northern Humboldt Interior County: In effect from 10 pm Tuesday to 4 pm PST Wednesday
- The Sierra Nevada from Yosemite to Tulare County at elevations around 3,500 feet on late Wednesday morning through the early evening. Snow levels lower to 2,500 feet Wednesday evening, and as low as 2,000 feet during the overnight hours into Thursday morning: In effect from 10 am Wednesday to 4 am PST Thursday
- Lassen-Eastern Plumas-Eastern Sierra Counties: In effect from 4 am to 10 pm PST Wednesday
- Mono County: In effect from 10 am to 4 am PST Thursday
Colorado:
Winter Weather Advisory:
- Rabbit Ears Pass, and Rocky Mountain National Park and the Medicine Bow Range: In effect from 2 pm Tuesday to 11 am MST Wednesday
- Elkhead and Park Mountains: In effect from 11 am Tuesday to 5 pm MST Wednesday
- Gore and Elk Mountains/Central Mountain Valleys: In effect from 11 am Tuesday to 5 pm MST Wednesday
- Upper Yampa River Basin and Flat Tops: In effect from 11 am Tuesday to 5 pm MST Wednesday
- The Mountains of Summit County, the Mosquito Range, and the Indian Peaks: In effect from 5 pm Tuesday to 11 am MST Wednesday
Idaho:
Winter Weather Advisory:
- Arco/Mud Lake Desert, Beaverhead/Lemhi Highlands, Lost River Valley/Range, Challis/Pahsimeroi Valleys, Frank Church Wilderness, and Big Lost Highlands/Copper Basin, including but not limited to Mud Lake, INL, Craters of the Moon NM, Dubois, Spencer, Edie School, Small, Howe, Arco, Mackay, Chilly, Borah Peak, Challis, Clayton, and Copper Basin: In effect until 11 am MST Wednesday
- Baker County zone: In effect until 4 pm PST Wednesday
- Upper Treasure Valley and Southern Twin Falls County zones: In effect from 11 pm MST/ 10 pm PST Tuesday to 5 pm MST/ 4 pm PST Wednesday
Illinois:
Winter Weather Advisory:
- De Witt, Piatt, Champaign, Vermilion and Macon Counties: In effect until 9 am CST Tuesday
- Iroquois and Ford Counties: In effect until 9 am CST/ 10 am EST Tuesday
- Portions of central and northeast Illinois: In effect until noon CST Tuesday
- DuPage and Northern Cook Counties: In effect until midnight CST tonight
- Portions of southwest and west central Illinois: In effect until midnight CST tonight
Indiana:
Winter Weather Advisory:
- Newton, Jasper and Benton Counties: In effect until 9 am CST/ 10 am EST Tuesday
- Portions of northwest Indiana: In effect until noon CST Tuesday
Iowa:
Winter Weather Advisory:
- North Central Iowa: In effect until 6 pm CST Tuesday
Kansas:
Winter Weather Advisory:
- Portions of east central and northeast Kansas: In effect until noon CST Tuesday
- Portions of South Central and Southeast Kansas: In effect until noon CST Tuesday
- Portions of east central, central, southeast and south central Kansas: In effect until 6 pm CST Tuesday
Maine & New Hampshire:
Winter Weather Advisory:
- Portions of south central and southwest Maine and central and northern New Hampshire: In effect from 5 pm Tuesday to 7 am EST Wednesday
- Northern Coos County: In effect from 5 pm Tuesday to 7 am EST Wednesday
- Coastal Hancock and Coastal Washington Counties: In effect from 9 pm Tuesday to 7 am EST Wednesday
Maryland:
Winter Weather Advisory:
- Portions of western Maryland and Western Mineral County: In effect until 1 pm EST Tuesday
Massachusetts:
Winter Weather Advisory:
- Western Franklin and Western Hampshire Counties: In effect from 3 PM Tuesday to midnight EST tonight
Michigan:
Winter Weather Advisory:
- Livingston, Oakland, Macomb, Washtenaw, Wayne, Lenawee and Monroe Counties: In effect until 11 am EST Tuesday
- Portions of south central and southwest Michigan: In effect until 11 am EST Tuesday
- Saginaw, Shiawassee and Genesee Counties: In effect until 4 pm EST Tuesday
- Portions of central, south central, southwest and west central Michigan: In effect until 4 pm EST Tuesday
- Alger, Luce and Northern Schoolcraft Counties: In effect until 7 am EST Wednesday
- Baraga, Delta and Southern Schoolcraft Counties: In effect until 7 am EST Wednesday
- Dickinson County: In effect until 6 am CST Wednesday
- Midland and Bay Counties: In effect until 4 am EST Wednesday
- Alpena, Alcona, Iosco and Arenac Counties: In effect until 7 am EST Wednesday
- Portions of Eastern Upper Michigan: In effect from 1 pm Tuesday to 10 am EST Wednesday
- Portions of central and west central Michigan: In effect until 10 am EST Wednesday
- Portions of Northern Lower Michigan: In effect until 10 am EST Wednesday
- Leelanau, Benzie, Grand Traverse and Manistee Counties: In effect until 10 am EST Wednesday
- Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Ogemaw and Gladwin Counties: In effect until 10 am EST Wednesday
- Emmet and Cheboygan Counties: In effect until 10 am EST Wednesday
Minnesota:
Winter Weather Advisory:
- Portions of south central and southeast Minnesota: In effect until noon CST Tuesday
- Le Sueur and Rice Counties: In effect until noon CST Tuesday
- Southern Cook County. This includes the Tribal Lands of the Grand Portage Reservation: In effect until noon CST Tuesday
- Portions of southeast Minnesota: In effect until 6 am CST Wednesday
- Redwood County: In effect until noon CST Wednesday
- Watonwan, Blue Earth, Martin and Faribault Counties: In effect until noon CST Wednesday
Missouri:
Winter Weather Advisory:
- Portions of central, southwest and west central Missouri: In effect until 6 pm CST Tuesday
- Portions of central, east central, and northeast Missouri: In effect until midnight CST tonight
Montana:
Winter Weather Advisory:
- Big Belt, Bridger and Castle Mountains and Little Belt and Highwood Mountains: In effect from noon Tuesday to 5 am MST Wednesday
- Grangeville and vicinity, White Bird Grade, Highway 95 Slate Creek to Riggins, Camas Prairie, and Greer Grade: In effect until 10 am MST Wednesday
- Lolo Pass, Highway 83 Seeley Lake to Condon, I-90 East Missoula to Bearmouth, Highway 200 Bonner to Greenough, and Highway 93 Sula to Lost Trail Pass: In effect until 11 am MST Wednesday
- Missoula and Bitterroot Valley: In effect until 11 am MST Wednesday
- Mission Valley, Flathead Valley, Flathead Lake, and Polson: In effect until 11 am MST Wednesday
- Homestake Pass, Butte, Georgetown Lake, Highway 12 Garrison to Elliston, and MacDonald Pass: In effect from 11 pm Tuesday to 11 am MST Wednesday
- Shoup, Lemhi Pass, Highway 93 Lost Trail Pass to Gibbonsville, Salmon, Bannock Pass, and Highway 28 Tendoy to Lone Pine: In effect from 11 pm Tuesday to 11 am MST Wednesday
- Gallatin and Madison County Mountains and Centennial Mountains and Northwest Beaverhead County: In effect until 5 pm MST Wednesday
- Northern High Plains and Southern Rocky Mountain Front: In effect until 5 am MST Thursday
New York:
Winter Weather Advisory:
- Western Greene and Western Ulster Counties: In effect from noon Tuesday to 8 pm EST
- Sullivan county: In effect from noon to 8 pm EST Tuesday
- Northern Berkshire County: In effect from 3 pm Tuesday to midnight EST
- Portions of northern New York and much of Vermont away from the Champlain Valley: in effect from 4 pm Tuesday to 5 am EST Wednesday
- Southern Adirondacks and southern Green Mountains: In effect from 5 pm Tuesday to 5 am EST Wednesday.
Nevada:
Winter Weather Advisory:
- Humboldt County, Northern Lander County and Northern Eureka County, Southwest Elko County and South Central Elko County: In effect from 4 am to 4 pm PST Wednesday
- White Pine County and Southern Lander County and Southern Eureka County: In effect from 10 am to 10 pm PST Wednesday
- Eastern Sierra Slopes including Aspendell: In effect from 10 am Tuesday to 4 am PST Thursday
- Northern Elko County: In effect from 10 am Tuesday to 4 am PST Thursday
Oklahoma:
Winter Weather Advisory:
- Portions of northeast Oklahoma: In effect until 3 pm CST Tuesday
Oregon:
Winter Storm Warning:
- Northern Oregon Cascade Foothills and Upper Hood River Valley: In effect until 4 pm PST Wednesday above 1,500 feet
- Cascade Foothills, Siskiyou, and the high terrain of the Kalmiopsis wilderness mountains in Douglas, Jackson, and eastern Curry Counties, including the Tiller-Trail highway and portions of Interstate 5 and highways 62 and 140 above 2000 feet: In effect until 4 pm PST Wednesday above 2,000 feet
Winter Weather Advisory:
- Portions of Interstate 5 from Ashland to Rogue River and the passes between Grants Pass and Roseburg, Hays Hill Summit, Jacksonville Hill, highways 62, 234, 140, 238, 42 near Camas Mountain, and 46 east of Cave Junction: In effect from 10 pm Tuesday to 9 am PST Wednesday
- Wallowa Count: In effect until 4 pm PST Wednesday
- Grande Ronde Valley, John Day Basin, Foothills of the Southern Blue Mountains of Oregon and Central Oregon: In effect from 10 am Tuesday to 4 pm PST Wednesday
Pennsylvania:
Winter Weather Advisory:
- Higher Elevations of Fayette and Higher Elevations of Westmoreland Counties: In effect until noon EST Tuesday
- Cambria, Blair, Somerset and Bedford Counties: In effect until 1 pm EST Tuesday
- Clearfield, Northern Centre, Southern Centre, Huntingdon and Mifflin Counties: In effect until 1 pm EST Tuesday
South Dakota:
Winter Weather Advisory:
- Portions of northwest Iowa, southwest Minnesota and east central and southeast South Dakota: In effect until noon CST Tuesday
- Dickinson and Clay Counties: In effect until 6 pm CST Tuesday
Utah:
Winter Weather Advisory:
- Bear Lake and Bear River Valley: In effect from 11 am Tuesday to 5 am MST Thursday
- Northern Wasatch Front: In effect from 11 am Tuesday to 5 am MST Thursday
- Eastern Box Elder County and Cache Valley/Utah Portion: In effect from 8 am Tuesday to 5 am MST Thursday
- Tooele and Rush Valleys and Salt Lake Valley: In effect from 2 pm Tuesday to 5 am MST Thursday
- Utah Valley, Eastern Juab/Millard Counties and Sanpete Valley: In effect from 5 pm Tuesday to 5 am MST Thursday
- Central Mountains: In effect from 5 pm Tuesday to 5 am MST Thursday
Vermont:
Winter Weather Advisory:
- Portions of northern New York and much of Vermont away from the Champlain Valley: in effect from 4 pm Tuesday to 5 am EST Wednesday
Virginia:
Winter Weather Advisory:
- Alleghany VA, Bath and Rockbridge Counties: In effect through 10 am EST Tuesday
- Portions of central, northwest and western Virginia: In effect until 1 pm EST Tuesday
Washington:
Winter Weather Advisory:
- Omak, Tonasket, Bridgeport, Oroville, Disautel Pass, Okanogan, Brewster, and Nespelem: In effect until 6 am PST Tuesday
- Plummer, Tekoa, Spokane Valley, Coulee City, La Crosse, Potlatch, Coeur d`Alene, Davenport, Rosalia, Cheney, Wilbur, Post Falls, Airway Heights, Ritzville, Hayden, Harrington, Fairfield, Odessa, Oakesdale, Genesee, Worley, Grand Coulee, Colfax, Uniontown, Moscow, Rockford, Downtown Spokane, Pullman, and Creston: In effect until 6 am PST Tuesday
- Republic, Sherman Pass, Boulder Creek Road, Inchelium, Chesaw Road, Wauconda, and Highway 20 Wauconda Summit: In effect until 6 am PST Tuesday
- Craigmont, Kamiah, Soldiers Meadow Road, Winchester, and Nezperce: In effect until 7 pm PST Tuesday
- Methow, Twisp, Winthrop, Mazama, Conconully, and Loup Loup Pass: In effect until 10 am PST Wednesday
Winter Storm Warning:
- South Washington Cascade Foothills: In effect until 4 pm PST Wednesday above 1,500 feet
West Virginia:
Winter Weather Advisory:
- Eastern Greenbrier and Western Greenbrier Counties: In effect through 10 am EST Tuesday
- Portions of northeast and southeast West Virginia: In effect until noon EST Tuesday
- Eastern Preston and Eastern Tucker Counties: In effect until noon EST Tuesday
- Eastern West Virginia: In effect until 1 pm EST Tuesday
Wisconsin:
Winter Weather Advisory:
- Portions of west central Wisconsin: In effect until noon CST Tuesday
- Portions of central and west central Wisconsin: In effect until 6 am CST Wednesday
- Marathon, Langlade, Florence, Forest, and Northern Marinette County Counties: In effect until 6 am CST Wednesday
Winter Storm Warning:
- Portions of east central, south central and southeast Wisconsin: In effect from 6 am Tuesday to 3 am CST Wednesday
- Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha Counties: : In effect from 6 am Tuesday to 3 am CST Wednesday
Wyoming:
Winter Weather Advisory:
- Rock Springs and Green River, Flaming Gorge and East Sweetwater County: In effect from 5 am Tuesday to 11 pm MST Wednesday
- Wind River Mountains West: In effect from 11 am Tuesday to 11 pm MST Wednesday
It’s important to keep yourself updated with the latest weather alerts. To get the full details, you can visit the NWS website. In most cases, these warnings will advise you to stay off the roads or take necessary precautions. For instance, make sure to give yourself extra time to reach your destination as the roads might be slippery and require you to slow down at certain points. When you’re not on the road, it’s also important to be cautious while walking on walkways, sidewalks, and paths as they can become icy and increase the risk of injuries.