Winter Storm Blair has triggered blizzard and winter storm warnings for millions of people as it spreads heavy snow and ice from the Plains to the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic through Monday. Travel will likely be disrupted across several states and icing could be so severe that it damages trees and knocks out power.

Current status on Blair

The winter storm is spreading snow and ice from the plains to parts of the Ohio Valley, as seen in the radar snapshot below.

Thunder accompanied a mix of freezing rain, sleet and snow across central Kansas, including Wichita, early Sunday.

For complete updates on the storm’s impact, please visit our live updates page at this link.

Winter weather warnings

Blizzard warnings are in effect for portions of the Central Plains, including the Kansas City metropolitan area and Wichita and Topeka, Kansas. Here, strong winds and falling or blowing snow will reduce visibility to whiteout conditions at times through early Monday.

Travel should be avoided in all of these areas until the storm passes.

An ice storm warning is also in effect from southern Missouri to southern parts of Illinois and western Kentucky. Icing in this area could damage trees and power lines, causing power outages that could last for days.

(​MORE: Why the snowfall forecast sometimes changes)

timing

• Sunday-Sunday evening: Heavy snow will occur at times throughout the day from Kansas to West Virginia. Parts of the Central Plains may experience blizzard conditions. A wintry mess of sleet, frost and snow is expected south of the heaviest snowfall area, from northeastern Oklahoma and southeastern Kansas to parts of the mid-Mississippi Valley, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains.
• In portions of the Central Plains, wind gusts may reach speeds of 50 mph at times, resulting in reduced visibility and blizzard conditions.
• Travel should be avoided in areas where snow and ice are expected. These include Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Louisville, St. Louis and Topeka.
• By Sunday evening, the storm’s wintry weather will have spread as far east as the Mid-Atlantic region, including Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C., making for increasingly dangerous travel.
• (15-minute details: For even more detailed weather data tracking in your area, view your 15-minute detailed forecast in our Premium Pro Experience.)

• Monday: Commuters are expected to face wintry travel conditions as the new work week begins in the Mid-Atlantic. Snow will also continue to affect portions of the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains.
• Baltimore, Charleston, West Virginia, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Washington, DC are some of the locations that may experience winter travel conditions that could result in delays or closures. Travel should be avoided.
• Wintry weather should gradually ease from west to east Monday evening, but remnants of snow and ice on the ground could impact travel in some areas Tuesday morning.
• (192 hours: Optimize your forecast even further with our detailed, hour-by-hour breakdown for the next 8 days – only available on our website Premium Pro Experience.)

How much snow and ice can we expect?

• At least 6 inches of snow is expected across the Central Plains and Midwest, particularly in the darker purple and pink shaded areas of the map below from northeastern Kansas into parts of northern Missouri, central Illinois, southern Indiana and Ohio and possibly Northern Kentucky. Some of these areas may see more than a foot of new snowfall where streaks of snow will remain.
• At least moderate snowfall is expected in the Mid-Atlantic. Parts of the Baltimore and Washington, DC metropolitan areas could see up to 20 cm of snow. Smaller amounts would occur as sleet mixes in the Washington, DC area. Further north, in Philadelphia, accumulations of a few centimeters could also occur.

• Ice in the form of sleet and freezing rain could be most problematic from southern Missouri to southern Illinois, southern Indiana, Kentucky and the Appalachians.
• Impacts from travel are likely and freezing rain accumulations could be damaging to some areas. Locations in darker pink and purple on the map below may experience at least some tree damage and power outages. Widespread power outages may occur in the previously mentioned areas where ice storm warnings are in effect.
• Check back for updates on Weather.com and The Weather Channel app.

Flashback to Blair on Saturday

Freezing rain slowed travel in parts of Kansas and Missouri, including the Wichita and Kansas City metro areas, where frozen roads led to crashes and slide-offs.

The Kansas City airport was temporarily closed late Saturday evening and portions of Interstate 70 were closed Saturday afternoon.