Winter Storm Odell Blankets West, Plains, Midwest With Snow

Winter storm Odell blanketed parts of the West, Plains, Midwest and Northeast with snow in late February 2020.

This winter storm entered the West on the weekend of Feb. 22-23, then tracked across the Rockies and Plains on Feb. 24-25.

The top snow total from Odell was 31 inches in Lead, South Dakota, in the Black Hills near the Wyoming state line.

Snow and blowing snow forced closures on stretches of interstates 80 and 25 in southeastern Wyoming on Feb. 25.

Here were some of the top snow totals by state in the West and Plains:

Colorado: 10.1 inches near Breckenridge; 3.6 inches near Colorado Springs

Kansas: 13 inches near Sylvan Grove; 9 inches in Canton

Montana: 14 inches near Red Lodge

Nebraska: 10 inches in Elwood; 5 inches in Sidney

North Dakota: 2 inches in Heil

Oklahoma: 2 inches in Tyrone

South Dakota: 31 inches near Lead; 13 inches near Rapid City

Texas: 1 inch in Perryton

Wyoming: 29 inches near Shirley Basin; 8 inches in Sundance

Odell then spread snow into the Midwest from Feb. 25-26. Though it produced less snow than earlier forecast in parts of the western Great Lakes, parts of northern Indiana, northwest Ohio and southern Lower Michigan picked up just over 6 inches of snow.

Odell then spread snow into parts of the interior Northeast, from western and central New York to northern New England before a more potent round of heavy lake-effect snow and high winds would kick in.

Here are some top snow totals by state in the Midwest:

Illinois: 4.1 inches in Springfield; 1.7 inches at Chicago O'Hare Airport

Indiana: 8.7 inches near Salem Center; 1-3 inches in Indianapolis metro

Michigan: 8.5 inches near Clark Lake; 5.5 inches in Detroit

Missouri: 2 to 3 inches in St. Louis metro

Ohio: 7 inches near Fayette

West Virginia: 6 inches at Snowshoe

Strong winds associated with Odell over the largely unfrozen, historically high Great Lakes, lead to more lakeshore flooding, particularly along the southern shore of Lake Michigan.

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