Power outages are expected across a five state region of the northern U.S. plains as blizzard conditions strike Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, and South Dakota, CNN reported on March 24. CNN writes:
A significant storm in the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest is expected to bring heavy snow and possible blizzard conditions through Tuesday morning, setting the stage for hazardous travel and power outages.
Back-to-back storms are sending some cities as much snow as they had all winter, and the latest storm is expected to have longer-lasting impacts than the last.
The “high-impact” storm is expected to produce strong, gusty winds and widespread heavy snow over parts of the regions through early next week, according to the Weather Prediction Center. The snow and wind will produce areas of blowing and drifting snow as well as possible blizzard conditions Sunday into Monday.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Weather Prediction Center said disruptions to daily life, such as school, office, and road closures, and power losses were likely. The National Weather Service issued blizzard warnings stemming from high winds and heavy snow for multiple states where between 8 to 12 inches of snow were predicted to fall across parts of a five-state region.
“Travel should be restricted to emergencies only,” the National Weather Service in Goodland, Kansas, warned. “If you must travel, have a winter survival kit with you. If you get stranded, stay with your vehicle.”
CNN reports that this storm is likely to bring even worse conditions than a storm that travelled from the Great Plains through the Great Lakes states to the New England states, including Maine and New Hampshire, last week that left more than 300,000 residents without power on March 24.