BY A STAFF REPORTER: The year's first major U.S. winter storm system dropped a cool mix of snow, freezing rain, and snow from the Northern Plains to the Upper Great Lakes region on Tuesday, while threatening tornadoes and flooding for a major swath in the south.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has forecast 1 to 3 inches (2-1/2 to 7-1/2 cm) of intense snowfall per hour in parts of Nebraska. On Tuesday, South Dakota and Minnesota, with occasional thunderstorms, are expected to accumulate more than a foot of snow.