A late-season snowstorm is plastering the Great Lakes and Northeast

A major spring snowstorm is plastering parts of the Midwest and Great Lakes — where some areas could see over 2 feet — at the same time snow is poised to blanket large parts of the Northeast away from the coast.

The snow is blossoming on the cold side of a powerful and wide-reaching storm system that has swept the country. It brought heavy rain, flooding and snow to California over the weekend before unleashing severe thunderstorms in the central and eastern states during the first half of the workweek.

Winter storm warnings — affecting more than 5 million people — cover much of northern Wisconsin, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and the interior Northeast, all of which could see snow totals over a foot. A blizzard warning is even in effect around Marquette, Mich. — where a few areas could see totals of nearly 30 inches, blown around by gusts of up to 45 mph.

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“Travel will be very difficult to impossible,” warned the Weather Service office serving the area around Marquette.

Because the snow is falling at temperatures near freezing, it’s heavy and wet, clinging to trees and utility lines, increasing the risk of power outages. The Weather Service warned that tree damage and power outages could becomes widespread in both the Great Lakes and New England. In both areas, snow totals will be elevation-dependent as higher temperatures closer to the ground will limit how much snow will stick.

Snow began to break out in the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes on Tuesday. In Wisconsin, about 100,000 customers were without power Wednesday morning as accumulation increased. The outages were concentrated in the northeast of the state, according to PowerOutage.us. Outages were also increasing in Michigan, especially in the Upper Peninsula.

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Schools around Green Bay, where thundersnow was reported Tuesday night, were delayed or closed Wednesday. Road conditions varied in the region; in some areas, temperatures were high enough that road surfaces were just wet or slushy, but colder areas reported snow-covered thoroughfares.

As snow continues in the northern Great Lakes region Wednesday, it will begin to expand into the interior Northeast as a new storm organizes off the coast. This storm will intensify into Thursday, drawing enough cold air southward to dump significant amounts of snow, especially in the higher elevations.

Snow in the Great Lakes

As of Wednesday morning, snow totals ranged from about 4 to 10 inches in much of Wisconsin but climbed to around a foot in the high elevations near Marquette. Periods of heavy snow occurred overnight, especially in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where it continued Wednesday.

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Snowfall totals as of Wednesday morning included:

• 14.2 inches in east La Crosse, Wis.
• 12 inches in Herman, Mich. (west of Marquette)
• 11 inches in Ishpeming, Mich. (southwest of Marquette)
• 6 inches in Nodine, Minn. (northwest of La Crosse)
• 5.8 inches in east Green Bay
• 5.5 inches in Escanaba, Mich. (along Lake Michigan’s northern shore)
• 3 inches in Center Junction, Iowa (east of Cedar Rapids)

Snow is predicted to continue Wednesday, heavily at times in areas downwind of Lake Superior. The combination of snow and gusts over 45 mph will lower visibility and cause blowing and drifting snow.

The snow is forecast to taper off from west to east, and most accumulation is expected to wrap up in Wisconsin by late afternoon Wednesday, but it could linger in areas downwind of Lake Superior into early Thursday.

Huge dendrites are coming down here at the office, SW of Green Bay. Several reports of thundersnow as well on the east side of Green Bay. Heavy snowfall is expected to continue across northeast WI until early Wednesday morning. #wiwx pic.twitter.com/kAtGGOefQK

It’s already been memorable late-season snow in Green Bay, where up to half a foot has fallen and a little more is possible. Its average April snowfall is just 4.7 inches. Around Marquette, snowfall may threaten calendar day records, but hefty April snow isn’t too unusual.

New York and New England

Rain and snow were already developing across the Northeast on Wednesday morning, and a few inches of snow could fall in the high terrain by evening. But the majority of the snow is forecast to fall Wednesday night into early Thursday.

Totals of 12 to 18 inches are forecast for much of northern New England away from the coast, with upward of 6-plus inches anticipated into the Berkshires of western Massachusetts.

On Wednesday night, the snow could fall at rates of up to 2 inches per hour at times.

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“Significant snowfall and periods of heavy snowfall rates will combine with low visibility to create very dangerous driving conditions,” the Weather Service office in Boston wrote in its warning for Manchester, N.H.

The high peaks of the Adirondacks and Green and White mountains in Vermont and New Hampshire could see as much as 2 feet or more from the storm.

The snow is forecast to wind down Thursday night into early Friday, but some snow showers may persist into the weekend.

April snow is fairly common in northern New England, but this storm is potentially a major one nonetheless. In Burlington, where 4 to 8 inches is forecast, the average for the month is 4.1 inches.

Stormy, yet lacking snow

The snowstorm in New England comes in the wake of a very stormy past 12 months, but with a lot of rain and a deficit of snowfall — especially in the low elevations. Most of the Northeast has seen below-normal snow this season. (But some of the areas that could see a lot of snow — mainly in the high elevations — have received normal amounts or even a bit more.)

Going into this storm, Burlington’s seasonal snowfall was about 30 inches below average to date, while Bangor, Maine, had a deficit of about 35 inches.

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Precipitation has been frequent but usually accompanied by warm temperatures. A number of powerful coastal storms battered the New England coast during winter, and Vermont endured historic flooding last summer.

Since Oct. 1, much of New England has seen one of its top 10 wettest periods on record. Year to date, cities including Providence, R.I.; Hartford, Conn.; Scranton, Pa.; and parts of the New York City metro area have posted their wettest or second-wettest period on record.

From snow to eclipse

A roughly 115-mile-wide strip of New York and northern New England is in the path of next Monday’s total solar eclipse. Portions of that path will see accumulating snowfall first. As accumulation ends by Friday and temperatures will rise into the 40s and 50s, chances are that some of this snow will melt before Monday.

But in the high terrain, some of the snow may remain on the ground into Monday afternoon. The snowy landscape and the eclipsed sun should make for a stunning spectacle.

Jason Samenow contributed to this report.

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