Deadly winter storm snarls travel as it blasts Plains, Great Lakes with heavy snow

03:34

Majority of Wisconsin under Winter Storm Warning

Madison, Wisconsin, is expected to receive 4-6 inches of snow Tuesday as it enters day two of a massive winter storm. FOX Weather's Max Gorden is live from Madison, which has just declared a snow emergency.

DES MOINES, Iowa – The blizzard that crippled parts of the Plains with nearly a foot of snow and whiteout conditions turned deadly as it focused its ferocity on the Great Lakes a day later.

"I'm not going to sugarcoat it. It's terrible," a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Kansas City said, describing the roads after arriving at work Tuesday morning.

A person uses a snowblower to clear a sidewalk as a snowstorm dumps several inches of snow on the area on January 09, 2024 in Des Moines, Iowa.

(Joe Raedle / Getty Images)

At their office in Pleasant Hill, Missouri, the NWS said 10.8 inches of snow was measured as of noon local time on Tuesday as a second swath of snow moved into the Kansas-Missouri border region. The storm's total precipitation was 1.16 inches, which is the average precipitation for the entire month of January, the NWS office said.

NEARLY A HALF-MILLION WITHOUT POWER AS RIVER FLOODING TOPS SUPERSTORM SANDY IN PHILADELPHIA

04:27

Blizzard cripples Dodge City, Kansas on Monday

"Snow is like a snowgun and blows everywhere," Exclusive FOX Weather Storm Tracker Mark Suddath said Monday while documenting the blizzard that blew through Dodge City, Kansas, on Monday. He captured this footage while driving through the town at nightfall, as blowing snow was still ongoing.

As the snow tapered off in the Plains, the wind held strong. Gusts as high as 40-plus mph continued to blow around the freshly fallen snow, reducing visibility as areas tried to dig out and restore travel to the region.

SEE BLIZZARD BLAST THROUGH PLAINS AS SNOW LIMITS VISIBILITY ON MAJOR HIGHWAYS

As the winter storm moved east, it continued to pound multiple states, causing fatalities.

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office in Wisconsin told FOX Weather that a driver died after a head-on collision with a semi-truck before sunrise Tuesday in the town of Oakland. Poor road conditions were a contributing factor in the crash.

In Lake County, Michigan, a 35-year-old woman had to be extracted from her minivan after a two-vehicle crash in Webber Township. Deputies said the woman later died at the hospital from her injuries. 

"The ambulance that was transporting the driver of the (minivan) was struck by another motorist in route to the hospital causing the ambulance to be immobilized," the sheriff's office said in a statement. "A second ambulance arrived shortly on scene to continue the transport. No injuries were reported in this separate crash."

WHAT MAKES A BLIZZARD DIFFERENT FROM AN ORDINARY SNOWSTORM?

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Blizzard conditions lead to dozens of crashes

Winter Storm Warnings covered millions in the Midwest on Tuesday as snow, wind and low visibility came together to produce blizzard conditions.

A semi-truck accident in Nebraska on Jan. 9, 2024. According to Nebraska State Patrol, troopers have responded to over 200 weather-related incidents since the start of the storm.

(@NEStatePatrol / X / FOX Weather)

"We've seen wind gusts stronger than 50 mph on the backside of this low. That's why we (had) the Blizzard Warnings in effect," FOX Weather Meteorologist Britta Merwin said.

More than 13.5 inches of snow had fallen in Lewiston, Nebraska, over the past 24 hours. The Nebraska State Patrol said they had responded to "well over" 200 weather-related road incidents due to slick roads Monday.

Footage posted by Lincoln Transportation and Utilities shows a snowplow in the state capital in the early hours of Tuesday.

On Tuesday morning, Marcus Todd Pitman filmed snowy conditions outside his home in downtown Columbus, Nebraska, where 13 inches of snow had also fallen. Pitman had already cleared a pathway in the snow for his pugs.

01:52

Nebraskan digs out pathway for pugs after major winter storm grips region

Footage filmed by Marcus Todd Pitman shows snowy conditions on Tuesday morning outside his home in downtown Columbus, Nebraska, where 13 inches of snow fell.

‘No wonder people get lost and die in these blizzards’

If a picture is worth a thousand words, the video below shows why highways are shut down from Colorado to Oklahoma to Kansas.

Colorado teacher Rowen Monks said it took her an hour to drive 15 miles in blizzard conditions Monday as she was trying to get to school in Colorado Springs from her home in Limon, Colorado.

00:49

Colorado teacher caught in whiteout conditions during Monday's storm

Teacher Rowen Monks was trying to get to school in Colorado Springs from her home in Limon on Monday when she was met with some very unforgiving visibility.

"No wonder people get lost and die in these blizzards," Monks can be heard saying in her video.

Most major interstates were shut down in Kansas on Tuesday. Westbound Interstate 70 was closed between Salina and the Colorado state line, and eastbound I-70 was closed from the Colorado state line to Hays, Kansas, due to winter weather and reduced visibility, causing dangerous travel conditions. Many secondary roads were also closed.

02:46

Powerful blizzard slams Kansas, closing I-70 to Colorado state line

In Kansas, the roads are dangerous due to a Winter Storm Warning that is in effect until noon CST. As a result, Interstate 70 will closed to and from the Colorado state line. Trooper Ben Gardner, from the Kansas State Highway Patrol, joins FOX Weather on I-70 near Salina.

According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, officers responded to 959 service rendered calls, 188 non-injury crashes and 48 injury crashes from Jan. 8 through Jan. 9 at 5 p.m. local time. None of the crashes were fatal.

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly issued a verbal state of disaster emergency on Monday evening, allowing resources to be prepared to provide state assistance.

"I encourage all Kansans to be cautious as the winter storm moves through our state," Kelly said. "Stay off the roads if possible and be mindful of emergency response personnel working hard to keep our citizens safe."

City crews clearing snow in Ottawa, Kansas, on Tuesday night. Jan. 9, 2024.

(@ottawapd / X / FOX Weather)

HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER

The Missouri State Highway Patrol said that, between midnight and 2 p.m. local time, they had 161 calls for service, assisted 115 stranded motorists and investigated 25 non-injury crashes and one injury crash. 

Snow drifts south of Pleasant Hill, Missouri. Jan. 9, 2024.

(@MSHPTrooperA / X / FOX Weather)

In Iowa, the State Patrol said they responded to 171 crashes and 482 motorist assists from Jan. 8 at 8 a.m. to Jan. 9 at 4 p.m. local time. None have been fatal. Two-thirds of the state was designated as "towing not recommended."

On Interstate 80 near mile marker 203, an Iowa State Trooper vehicle was struck from behind, while a trooper was out checking on a stalled semi-truck. No injuries were reported. Jan. 9, 2024.

(@iowastatepatrol / X / FOX Weather)

Winter weather wasn't just felt across the central states. Before changing to rain, a thump of moderate to heavy snow fell across the interior Northeast on Tuesday afternoon into Wednesday. This includes the same areas that received snow this past weekend. 

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HOW COLD DOES IT HAVE TO BE TO SNOW?

The FOX Forecast Center said snow rates touched 1 inch an hour – briefly rivaling those seen last weekend. A few inches of snow even fell from Pennsylvania to Maine before it changed to rain.