Chaos as snowstorm sweeps across the Plains and Midwest: Live

According to The Washington Post, here are some of the snowfall projections expected across the country this week:

• Dupree, South Dakota.: 12 inches
• Wausau, Wisconsin: 11 inches
• Eau Claire, Wisconsin: 10 inches
• Minnetonka, Minnesota: 7.4 inches
• Bloomington, Minnesota: 7.5 inches
• St. Cloud, Minnesota: 7.1 inches
• Bismarck, North Dakota: 3.2 inches

A powerful winter storm is currently moving through the US Midwest and Northern Plains.

The National Weather Service said rain and snow will continue through Tuesday with, three to five inches of snow falling across west central and central Minnesota.

Snowfall is expected to taper off quickly to the south and east, the agency added,

Heading into Tuesday and Wednesday night, much of the US will see much cooler air. However, the NWS has warned this could lead to a flash freeze scenario after a couple of days.

The National Weather Service has issued blizzard warnings from northern Colorado and Kansas through to parts of Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota on Monday, with between two and ten inches of snow expected to fall in some areas.

“Snow may accumulate at 1 to 2 inches per hour in heavier bands,” the weather service said.

Strong winds could also cause widespread power outages, with falling trees hitting power lines.

It comes after a storm dumped more than two feet of snow on areas including Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont last week. Following last week’s storm, around 160,000 homes and businesses were still without power across the Northeast as of late Sunday night, according to PowerOutage.us.

A giant tree fell on Fifth Avenue on Saturday, crushing a car amid heavy rainfall in New York.

More than 3.5 inches of rain fell in Central Park over the weekend, causing motorists to become trapped on flooded roads.

At least one car was crushed by a falling tree not far from the park, on Fifth Avenue, while three other cars were damaged.

The tree crunched the roof of a red sedan on Saturday night after it fell across the length of Fifth Avenue between East 94th Street to East 93rd Street. The roadway had to be closed for most of the night.

The city’s Department of Parks & Recreation dispatched a crew to remove the tree.

NYC Emergency Management cautioned people to be on alert for the potential for black ice after overnight temperatures dipped below freezing.

“New Yorkers are advised to take caution when driving due to the increased risk of black ice on roadways across the city,” its X account posted.

The Aurora Borealis will potentially be visible from the US, as far south as the Midwest. Observes wanting to catch a glimpse of the northern lights should find a dark place to look, such as a hill or beach that has an unobstructed view to the south. The best time to watch is between 10pm and 2am.

According to the National Weather Service, 16 states are currently under winter eater alerts. Some parts of the country are expected to get several inches of snow while others will be pummeled with rain.

The Storm Prediction Center has issued a critical fire weather warning for far southern Texas. Fire conditions are increasing amid strong westerly flow along the base of an upper trough that’ll support dry, gusty winds in excess of 25mph in the Southern Plains on Monday.

Meanwhile, authorities are preparing for a wildfire in the Panhandle region, nearly two weeks after the Smokehouse Creek fire, the largest blaze in the state’s history, was declared contained.