Winter Storm Central

Winter Storm Mateo Will Bring More Snow, Ice to the Rockies, Plains, Midwest and Northeast Through the Weekend

By Jonathan Belles and Chris Dolce
Feb 10 2018 04:00 PM EST
weather.com

Story Highlights

Mateo's second round of snow will move east through the Midwest and interior Northeast Saturday.

Another long swath of snow will spread from the Rockies and Plains into the Midwest and Northeast through Sunday.

Freezing rain and sleet will also be a concern from Texas to Maine this weekend.

Winter Storm Mateo has already brought its initial blast of snow and additional rounds of snow are ahead, along with some ice, from the Rockies and Plains to Northern New England through this weekend. 

(MORE: Winter Storm Central | The Science Behind Naming Winter Storms)

Mateo's wintry mess is being generated by a strung-out impulse of energy riding through a broad southward dip in the jet stream, lifting moist air over a surface frontal system that will plunge southward through the Plains. This system will then stall out temporarily from near the Ohio Valley to the interior Northeast this weekend.

Happening Now

Mateo's initial round of snow has departed but light to moderate snow from Mateo's next phase is falling from Michigan into southern Ontario and Quebec, upstate New York and northern New England as of midday Saturday.

(NEWS: Schools Closed, Flights Cancelled Thanks to Mateo)

Spotty freezing drizzle is being reported in parts of Missouri and Oklahoma. Up to 0.02 inches of ice has accumulated as of early Saturday morning in Joplin, Missouri and Rolla, Missouri, where slippery roads are a concern.

Yet, another piece of energy is currently bringing accumulating snow to parts of Utah, Colorado, Nebraska and Kansas.

Light to moderate snow continues to fall across the Colorado Rockies and into the Denver metro area. For most of the region, 2-3 inch totals are being reported. Allenspark, Colorado has gotten up to 5 inches of snow. 

As of Saturday morning, Chicago reported a snow depth of 10 inches, making it the deepest snow depth in almost three years.

Winter Alerts

Winter weather advisories are in effect from parts of Colorado and northern New Mexico into the central and southern Plains and mid-Mississippi Valley. Winter weather advisories have also been issued for portions of the southern Great Lakes from northern Illinois to northern Ohio and southern Michigan into Upstate New York and northern New England.

Slippery road conditions can be expected in these areas with occasionally reduced visibilities. Ice may coat sidewalks and roads, especially in parts of the southern Plains, the mid-Ohio River Valley into northern New England.

Mateo's Timing

Saturday/Saturday Night

  • Saturday and Saturday night, an expansive swath of snow will stretch from the Rockies of Colorado, Utah and northern New Mexico to the southern Great Lakes, upstate New York and northern New England.
  • A band of sleet and freezing rain is expected from parts of Oklahoma and perhaps central Texas into the mid-Mississippi Valley, Ohio Valley, far northern Pennsylvania, central New York and northern New England.
  • FORECAST: Tulsa | St. Louis | IndianapolisCleveland | Denver

Sunday/Sunday Night

  • Sunday, snow, sleet or freezing rain will continue from the mid-Mississippi Valley, Great Lakes and Ohio Valley into the interior Northeast.
  • Sunday night, snow, sleet and ice could linger from parts of the Mid-South (eastern Arkansas, western Tennessee) through the Ohio Valley and interior Northeast.

(MAPS: 7-Day U.S. Rain/Snow Forecast)

How Much More Snow?

  • A long stripe of real estate from the Colorado Plains through the southern Great Lakes into northern New England will pick up 1-3 inches of additional snowfall through Sunday night.
  • Some spots in for northern Maine and in the Colorado Rockies could pick up more than 5 inches. 
  • Once again, it appears rain, rather than ice or snow, will dominate along the immediate Interstate 95 corridor from Boston to Washington D.C.

How Much Ice?

  • For most areas, ice accumulation potential appears to be more of a nuisance, rather than a more damaging variety, from parts of Texas into the Ohio Valley and interior Northeast.
  • There is a slight chance for higher amounts of ice in parts of east-central or southeastern Missouri into northern Ohio and southwestern New York, as well as in portions of northern New England on Sunday, which could be enough to break tree limbs and cause power outages.
  • Expect some ice accumulation on elevated surfaces, bridges, overpasses, and untreated roads.
  • However, we don't anticipate more than spotty tree damage and power outages in these areas this weekend.

(MORE: 5 Reasons Why Freezing Rain is the Worst | What Ice Accumulations Mean)

Snowfall Totals By State

Selected snowfall totals by state are listed below, as of midday Saturday:

  • Colorado: 5.0 inches in Allenspark and Monarch Pass; 3.5 inches in Aurora; 2.8 inches near Denver
  • Illinois: 13 inches in Palos Hill; 11.2 inches in Joliet; 8.8 inches near Midway Airport; 7.8 inches in Chicago
  • Indiana: 16.0 inches in Westville; 15 inches near Granger; 10.9 inches near South Bend
  • Iowa: 11 inches in Fort Dodge; 6 inches in Waterloo; 4.8 inches in Dubuque
  • Maine: 6 inches in Brewer and Alton; 5.5 inches in Orono
  • Michigan: 15 inches in Dowagiac; 7.5 inches in Flint; 7 inches in Ann Arbor
  • Minnesota: 4 inches in Bricelyn; 1.5 inches in Mankato
  • Montana: 17 inches near Bynum; 13.3 inches in Havre; 12 inches in Billings; 9 inches in Great Falls
  • Nebraska: 13 inches in Clinton; 11 inches in Gordon; 7.5 inches in Chadron
  • New Hampshire: 3 inches in Dalton and Berlin
  • New York: 7.6 inches near Lockport; 7 inches near Redfield; 4.1 inches in Buffalo
  • North Dakota: 7 inches near Rhame; 6 inches in Marmarth
  • Ohio: 6.8 inches in Dewart Lake; 5.5 inches in Bryan; 4.4 inches near Toledo
  • South Dakota: 15 inches in Hot Springs; 12 inches in Buffalo; 7.5 inches in Pierre; 4.0 inches near Rapid City; 3.6 inches in Sioux Falls
  • Wisconsin: 9 inches near Kenosha and near Gillette; 4 inches in Greendale (Milwaukee metro)
  • Wyoming: 11.9 inches near Sheridan; 11 inches in New Castle

Wind gusts higher than 60 mph were reported in parts of Wyoming on Thu., Feb. 8, including a gust of 67 mph near Garrett, Wyoming. 

Winter Storm Mateo Recap

Mateo is a one-two punch with two areas of energy along a stretched out frontal boundary. 

The first batch of energy created a stripe of snow from parts of Montana to northern New York, including the Chicago and Detroit metro areas on Feb. 8-9. 

The heaviest snowfall totals so far have been in the High Plains of Montana, where a few locations have picked up a foot or more of snow. Havre, Montana, picked up just over 13 inches of snow in a 30-hour period, leaving some city streets impassable with stranded vehicles.

Up to 3-inch per hour snow rates were observed in Great Falls, Montana.

If that wasn't enough, a rare freezing rain resulted in poor travel conditions across parts of Montana, Feb. 8. 

The first round of snow tapered off in Chicago Friday night and more than 10 inches fell in parts of Chicagoland. Up to 6 inches piled up in the Milwaukee metro area and 2 to 4 inches accumulated in the Detroit metro area from this first batch of snow.

Record-breaking snow fell in South Bend, Indiana and Columbus, Ohio on Friday. South Bend received 10.3 inches, breaking the old daily record of 6 inches set back in 1909. Columbus received 4.4 inches of snow, breaking the old daily record of 3.6 inches, set in 1895!

The first round of snow in Iowa diminished Friday after dropping 6 to 11 inches of snow in a swath from Ft. Dodge to Waterloo.

The second round of snow already snarled traffic on Friday across much of Nebraska where snowfall totals are upwards of 11 inches so far. 

MORE FROM WEATHER.COM: Winter Storm Mateo Gallery: 

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.