Meteorologists warn of 'intense' snow in Great Lakes states and record lows in South

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CHICAGO (AP) — Large swaths of the U.S. prepared for one of the season’s first blasts of wintry weather Sunday as temperatures dipped and snow fell in the Northern Plains, snowstorms developed eastward across the Great Lakes and the South prepared for a big chill.

Flurries fell Sunday across parts of the Chicago area, a precursor to “intense” snowfall forecast to start in the evening in communities surrounding Lake Michigan. The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning into Monday, predicting wind gusts of up to 30 mph (48 kph) and as much as 18 inches (46 centimeters) of quickly-falling precipitation, along with thundersnow, a condition when thunderstorms combine with snow.

“This band is going to drop some very heavy snow and some hairy scenarios for the Monday morning commute,” said weather service meteorologist Kevin Doom in Romeoville, Illinois.

Meteorologists said conditions for road travel in northeast Illinois would be “dangerous to impossible” from snow accumulating faster than 3 inches (8 centimeters) per hour.

As temperatures dropped across the nation's midsection, meteorologists warned of hazardous travel conditions through winter weather advisories for Michigan, Indiana and Wisconsin. Snow fell Sunday in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, where meteorologists warned of low visibility with up to a foot by Monday. In Indiana, weather experts predicted up to 11 inches (28 centimeters) of snow and “slippery surfaces” for road travel. Up to 6 inches (15 centimeters) of snow were predicted in parts of Wisconsin.

“Patchy blowing snow” and wind chills hovering near zero were expected in portions of Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota. Some areas got measurable fluff a day earlier, including 4 inches (10 centimeters) of snow in southwest Minnesota and more than 5 inches (13 centimeters) in slices of northern Iowa.

Cold weather warnings were issued for Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky, with freezing temperatures predicted through Monday morning for a large swath of the South, from Texas and Oklahoma to Alabama and Georgia.

Weather experts issued special guidance for gardeners, saying the freeze warning means the growing season has ended.

“Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold,” warned meteorologists in Arkansas.