OMAHA, Neb. — Snow and freezing rain has prompted officials to close the largest school districts in Nebraska and Iowa ahead of a winter storm that’s threatening the Midwest with several inches of snow.
The National Weather Service has issued weather advisories and warnings from Kansas to Michigan.
Wind-driven snow and icy roadways are already making travel hazardous. Fatal accidents involving vehicles sliding off icy roadways have been reported in Wisconsin and Illinois.
Forecasters predict up to 8 inches (20 centimeters) of snow in parts of Iowa and as many as 10 inches (25.4 centimeters) in Wisconsin.
The storm comes on the heels of the snow, frigid air and strong winds that hit the Northeast, where thousands of Rhode Island residents were without heat on Tuesday, one of the coldest days so far this year, and whiteout conditions were being reported in Maine.
