Wide stretch of Heartland to see significant snow on Halloween

After a brief clip of wintry weather raced through the central Plains and western Great Lakes to start the week, bringing a few inches of snow to portions of the Midwest, a much larger and more impactful winterlike storm will close out October.

"This is no joke, as a winterlike storm has the potential to put down a accumulating snow over a 750-mile long swath of the Heartland prior to the end of this week," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said.

"A strengthening storm will erupt out of the South and track northeastward across the country," Issac Longley, AccuWeather meteorologist, said.

Many locations across the East and Midwest will see major impacts from this storm through the end of the week, according to Longley.

This storm started as disturbance dove south through the Rockies Tuesday night, bringing more snow to areas like Denver and Colorado Springs that have already seen an above-average start to the snow season.

Denver Police responded to over 90 traffic accidents on Monday and credited Denver Public Works drivers for helping keep roads as clear as possible. The city received about 2 inches of snow on Monday.

It will transform into a powerful storm system as it shifts eastward and moves through the Midwest and Great Lakes.

"While the main impacts in the East will be gusty winds and moderate to heavy rainfall, cold air wrapping around the western side of the storm will bring accumulating snow from Kansas to Michigan," Longley said.

The snowfall rates will generally be light and accumulation may not occur on roads initially, but snowfall is forecast to ramp up substantially as the storm intensifies from Thursday to Friday.

Strong winds will whip up across a large swath around the storm, affecting areas all the way from the Plains through much of the East as the storm strengthens. Gusts reaching 55 mph will be common around the Great Lakes and parts of the Northeast with gusts close to hurricane-force forecast around Lakes Erie and Ontario.

Lakeshore flooding will be a concern as the strong winds rip across the Great Lakes.

Exactly where the heaviest snow and strongest winds occur will depend on the exact track of the storm. For example, a difference in track by 100 miles or less could mean the difference between heavy snow or lighter snow or even rain in cities such as Chicago, Milwaukee and Des Moines, Iowa.

Currently, the heaviest snow is expected to fall from near the Iowa/Illinois border northeastward through part of northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin and northern Michigan.

Confidence is high among forecasters that a swath of heavy snow will develop and impact major cities such as Madison, Wisconsin, Rockford, Illinois and Davenport, Iowa.

"Several inches of snow will fall across this stretch, with some locales receiving up to a foot," Longley said.

In addition to the heavy snow, strong winds will also help to create blowing and drifting snow.

The wind and snow in areas where trees have yet to lose most of their leaves can also lead to more widespread tree damage and power outages.

Stretches of interstates 39, 80, 90 and 94, among others in the Midwest are likely to experience treacherous travel conditions. Major airport hubs such as O'Hare and Midway in Chicago are also likely to experience significant delays and flight cancellations into later Thursday, regardless of whether the bulk of the storm falls as rain or snow.

Trick-or-treaters in these areas may have more snow than candy filling up their baskets.

While the heaviest snow and strongest winds are expected to occur farther to the northeast, enough snow and wind will still also occur to cause some disruptions across the central Plains and parts of the mid-Mississippi Valley Wednesday into Wednesday night.

Interstate 70 across Kansas could see tricky travel Wednesday as a few inches of wind-driven snow fall.

"Residents of Kansas City could have a few inches of snow to shovel as they wake up Thursday morning," Brett Rossio, AccuWeather meteorologist, said.

On the western side of the storm, strong winds will drive cold air through the southern Plains all the way to the Gulf Coast.