Latest Update on Winter Weather Impacts Over the Easter Holiday Weekend

Winter is refusing to budge across much of the northern U.S., resulting in yet another round of snow and ice. Here is a more detailed look at where you can expect the snow and ice to put a wrench in the holiday festivities.

Timing of Latest Winter Weather Events in the Northern U.S.

Another winter storm is bearing down on a large swath of the northern U.S. The wintry impacts will sweep through the northern Rockies to the east into the Great Lakes and the upper reaches of New England. The storm is serving as a reminder that the northern flank of the country is not out of the woods just because March is over.

The silver lining is that the latest round of winter weather is not expected to pack the same punch as last month's historic blizzard in the Upper Midwest. However, those in the impact zone should still prepare for the likelihood of travel disruptions during the Easter weekend.

The core of a winter storm from earlier in the week has now tracked into eastern Canada. As of Friday afternoon, a bit of wintry precipitation was sliding across northern Minnesota and to the east into northern New England. The lingering snow and sleet will transition to rain as the temperatures begin to rise. This wave of moisture dumped up to 8 inches of fresh snow across portions of the Dakotas and northern Minnesota.

The same storm was also responsible for leaving behind up to a half-inch of ice in some areas of northern Wisconsin and northern Michigan. Over 50,000 customers were left without power as strong winds paired with the ice accumulation brought down trees and power lines across the Upper Midwest.

Yet another influx of snow and ice is now coming out of the northern Rockies and spreading across the northern Plains as the work week wraps up. A number of winter storm warnings have been issued for the same areas of the Upper Midwest that saw the brunt of the March blizzard. This includes a swath of Minnesota, northern Wisconsin, and Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

For example, Fargo, North Dakota, is under a winter storm warning from 4 pm Friday through 7 pm Saturday. The city is expecting total snowfall accumulations of 7 to 12 inches. Winds will pick up speed on Saturday, whipping around at 15 to 25 mph from the north-northwest. Highs will hover in the mid 30s on both Friday and Saturday before falling into the upper 20s overnight.

The wintry precipitation is forecast to creep into the northern Great Lakes overnight Friday and into Saturday. This region will see the messy conditions throughout the day. Warmer air coming in behind the system could push some of the freezing rain to straight rain at times on Saturday afternoon. The freezing rain that reaches northern New England late Saturday is also expected to change to rain by Sunday, thanks to the surge of warmer temperatures.