A massive winter storm has hit the central United States since Monday, threatening millions of people with heavy snow, freezing rain and flooding.
The National Weather Service warned that there would be “numerous, widespread and shocking weather hazards in the heart of the country this week.” Across the Rocky Mountains and in the northern Plains and parts of the Midwest, people were warned to prepare for abnormal conditions.
Those living further south in Texas and Louisiana could receive heavy rain with flash flooding, hail and tornadoes.
The storm will continue southeast toward Florida later in the week, forecasters said.
“It’s going to be a busy week as this system moves across the country,” said Marc Chenard, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service headquarters in College Park, Maryland.
Officials in western South Dakota suggested residents prepare for 6 inches (15 centimeters) or more of snow: “Keep your shovels handy, do your shopping and check on other needed supplies. The roads will be difficult to travel.”
A swath of the country stretching from Montana to western Nebraska and Colorado is under a blizzard warning. The National Weather Service said 2 feet (61 centimeters) of snow was possible in some areas of western South Dakota and northwestern Nebraska. Meanwhile, ice and sleet were expected across the eastern Great Plains.
“This is a ‘we’re not kidding’ storm,” the South Dakota Department of Public Safety said in a tweet urging people to stock up on essentials and stay home once the storm hits.
