A sprawling winter storm that has already dumped snow and ice across the Midwest is expected to bring heavy snow and low temperatures from the Great Lakes to the Northeast this weekend, according to the National Weather Service.
The system has affected people across several states in the Midwest “all the way toward the East Coast,” Brent Hewett, a Weather Service meteorologist in Chanhassen, Minn., said on Saturday.
So far, cities likes Omaha, Chicago and Des Moines as well as parts of Michigan were most affected by the storm on Friday, Mr. Hewett said. Snow totals across the region ranged from five to eight inches, he said, calling the precipitation “an even blanket.”
Iowa State Patrol reported at least 150 crashes amid snowy conditions Saturday morning and later said that a section of Interstate 35 was shut down because a tractor-trailer truck had veered into a ditch.
Minnesota State Patrol said on Twitter that there had been 47 crashes since Friday night.
Conditions in the Twin Cities on Saturday night are expected to bring blowing snow, single-digit temperatures that will fall below zero and gusty winds that will produce a wind chill of about minus 20, Mr. Hewett said.
Looking east, a winter weather advisory is in effect for most of northern New Jersey, generally north and west of Interstate 95, according to Alex Staarmann, a Weather Service meteorologist in Mount Holly, N.J.
A band of snow moving over eastern Pennsylvania and into New Jersey on Saturday was headed for New York City, Mr. Staarmann said.
“Later on this afternoon and into the evening, there will be another round of precipitation that builds back into the region,” he said, adding that snow would probably mix with sleet before turning into rain in the evening.
Snow accumulations in the advisory area are expected to reach four inches at most, Mr. Staarmann said, and roads may become slippery. For Sunday, he projected a slight chance of snow showers, but “nothing significant.”
For areas around Boston, snow was expected to start Saturday afternoon and gradually turn to rain, Bill Simpson, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Norton, Mass., said on Saturday.
A winter storm warning is in effect for north-central Massachusetts and much of the western portion of the state from 2 p.m. Saturday through 7 a.m. Sunday, the agency said. Heavy snow is expected, with accumulations from four to eight inches.
Travel conditions will deteriorate once the snow starts, Mr. Simpson said. “It’s quick moving, so it will pretty much be over by daybreak.”
While snow gripped large expanses of the United States, it prompted a rare state of emergency and a storm surge warning for the capital of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Canadian province, according to Global News. More than two feet of snow fell in the area, it reported, prompting dangerous travel conditions as well as widespread power outages.
Dwight Ball, the premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, said on Twitter that a request had been made to the Canadian government for assistance, including the mobilization of the Canadian Armed Forces.
Mitch Smith contributed reporting.
