Northern states largely shutting down ahead of massive storm

Several states across the northern U.S. are largely shutting down on Wednesday as they brace for what forecasters have called a “significant coast-to-coast winter storm.”

The winter storm is expected to “bring numerous weather hazards and highly anomalous temperatures coast-to-coast, with almost all of the country experiencing some form of notable weather,” according to the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center.

Southern Minnesota is expecting potentially record-breaking snowfall of up to two feet, while South Dakota, Wisconsin and Michigan are set to receive more than a foot of snow, forecasters said.

The Minnesota legislature voted to adjourn starting on Wednesday, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) declared a peacetime emergency and authorized the National Guard in anticipation of the massive snow storm, according to CBS Minnesota. Minneapolis Public Schools have also moved to remote learning through the remainder of the week.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) closed the state’s executive branch offices on Wednesday and directed employees to work remotely ahead of the storm, according to The Associated Press.

Mountain ranges in the West are also expected to receive between one to two feet of snow, with a chance of light snow in the central California valleys, according to the National Weather Service. Between four and eight inches of snow is also expected in Upstate New York and central New England later in the week.