Live updates: Dangerous windstorm hits Chicago, Minneapolis as March blizzard targets millions

Confidence is growing in a high-impact winter event as the National Weather Service has upgraded the Twin Cities to a Winter Storm Warning starting Saturday evening.

“Confidence is growing in a high-impact winter event as the National Weather Service has upgraded the Twin Cities to a Winter Storm Warning starting Saturday evening”

FOX Weather

With the storm now less than 36 hours away, latest model guidance has solidified a track that places Minneapolis directly in the crosshairs of a major bomb cyclone.

FOX Weather

Forecasters are now warning of historic potential, with 12 to 18 inches of heavy, wet snow likely for the metro area and localized totals potentially reaching up to two feet in western Wisconsin.

Snow is expected to fall at rates of 2–3 inches per hour Saturday night into Sunday morning, making travel nearly impossible when combined with 40 mph wind gusts on Sunday and creating prolonged periods of blowing snow and whiteout conditions.

Officials are urging everyone to complete their storm preparations by Saturday afternoon, as the heavy weight of the snow combined with high winds could lead to infrastructure damage and power outages that may last well into the Monday morning commute.

A powerful windstorm continues to impact air travel across the Northern Tier today, resulting in more than 2,200 flight delays nationwide, according to FlightAware.

Major aviation hubs, including Chicago O’Hare and Minneapolis-St. Paul, have been the most significantly affected as gusts of 60–70 mph create difficult operating conditions.

FOX Weather

The Federal Aviation Administration recently implemented a ground stop for O’Hare to manage the flow of traffic safely during the peak of the wind event, leading to a steady increase in wait times for passengers across the region; the hold is currently in effect until 8:15 a.m. ET.

As the storm system moves eastward, the ripple effect of these morning delays is expected to persist throughout the afternoon and evening, and travelers are encouraged to stay in close contact with their airlines and monitor flight status apps regularly for the most up-to-date information on their departures.

Nearly 40,000 homes and businesses across Michigan are in the dark this morning as a powerful clipper system delivers a punishing blow to the state’s power grid.

“Confidence is growing in a high-impact winter event as the National Weather Service has upgraded the Twin Cities to a Winter Storm Warning starting Saturday evening”

FOX Weather

High winds, with gusts reaching between 60 and 65 mph, have been snapping tree limbs and toppling utility lines from the shores of Lake Michigan to the Detroit metro area.

While utility crews have been staged across the state, the persistent nature of these 60 mph gusts is making restoration efforts difficult and dangerous, and officials warn that the number of outages could continue to climb before the weather finally calms this evening.

Thousands of residents across the Midwest are waking up in the dark as the same winds topple power lines and snap tree limbs, creating a chaotic start to the day and complicating restoration work as temperatures begin to plummet behind the initial wind front.

When meteorologists use the term "bomb cyclone," they are describing a process called bombogenesis—a rapid and violent drop in atmospheric pressure that signals a storm is essentially going into overdrive, and to qualify, a storm’s central pressure must plummet by least 24 millibars within 24 hours.

This weekend, a clash between record warmth in the South and frigid air diving out of Canada will provide the high-octane fuel needed for this system to "bomb out" directly over the Great Lakes, with the storm stacking under a powerful dip in the jet stream that will allow it to move slower and dump more snow than a typical fast-moving clipper.

FOX Weather

The FOX Forecast Center warns the inland bomb cyclone could carry the punch of a winter hurricane, producing snow drifts several feet high, reducing visibility to near-zero for hours at a time, and creating life-threatening whiteout conditions as wind gusts reach 60–70 mph and up to 70 mph in some areas.

Simultaneously, the FOX Forecast Center is tracking a widespread severe weather outbreak that targets more than 90 million people from the Gulf Coast through the Ohio Valley into the Southeast on Sunday and Monday, as warm, moist air from the Gulf collides with a powerful cold front to spark supercells, intense lines of storms, damaging wind gusts, large hail, and the potential for tornadoes; forecasters urge people to review their severe weather plans, identify safe rooms, and ensure FOX Weather App alerts are turned on.