At a Glance
More than 20 states will feel the impacts of the second winter storm to track through the Lower 48 this week as it brings snow and some ice from the Plains to the Midwest, Great Lakes and Northeast. Here's a look at what to expect from Iliana as well as a brief head's up on a potential third winter storm following in its wake late this week into the weekend.
Storm Timing
-Tuesday night: Snow develops from the Front Range of the Rockies to the Central Plains. Denver, Kansas City and Omaha, Nebraska, could all see snowfall develop during this time.
-Wednesday: Snow and ice will spread into the Midwest, Great Lakes and mid-Atlantic states during the day. Snowfall is likely to impact travel in cities like Chicago, Detroit and Milwaukee, especially later in the day. Icing from freezing rain and sleet could be a concern from Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma, to the Ozarks of southern Missouri and northern Arkansas. A wintry mix might develop in the Baltimore and Washington, D.C. areas before changing to rain.
-Wednesday night-Thursday: The storm will finish up in the Great Lakes and Northeast Wednesday night through Thursday. Snow and gusty winds continue Wednesday night in Chicago, Milwaukee and Detroit, but will taper off by Thursday. Boston and New York City could see snow before changing to a wintry mix, then rain.
How Much Snow, Ice
- In the Plains, Midwest and Great Lakes, the heaviest snow totals could be 5 or more inches from Kansas to northern Missouri, southern Iowa, southeast Wisconsin, northern Illinois and Michigan. Chicago could see its heaviest snowstorm so far this season
if it tops 2.9 inches at O'Hare Airport . Those heavier totals of 5 inches or more will also impact northern New York and northern New England. -Parts of southern New England to the New York tri-state area will likely see lighter amounts ranging from a coating to a few inches. -Icing could be at least enough to slicken untreated roads from central Oklahoma into the Ozarks. More substantial icing that could damage trees and power lines is possible in the central Appalachians.
Another One This Weekend?
If that wasn't enough, a strong Pacific storm forecast to come ashore in California and surge into the Mountain West late this week could eventually become another significant winter storm in the Plains, Midwest and Northeast by this weekend. That could also wring out more heavy rain in the South and even some severe t-storms, there. Check back with us at weather.com for the latest updates on this active stormy pattern.
Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him on Bluesky , X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook .
