Storm could bring 2 feet of snow

Parts of northern Michigan had already been hit with more than a foot of snow by a storm forecasters said Monday could dump more than 2 feet in places. Accuweather.com reported snow could accumulate at a rate of several inches per hour in some areas, and wind gusts and snow showers could lead to white-out conditions. The heavy lake-effect snow -- which comes when cold northwest winds blow over the warmer waters of the Great Lakes -- produced significant accumulations from the Upper Midwest to the Northeast. The storm had dumped 7.8 inches in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., and 5 inches Winchester, Wis. South of Buffalo, N.Y., Springboro, Pa., had received 9.8 inches, while Jamestown in western New York state got 8.6 inches and Sherman, 8.3 inches. Heavy snow was expected downwind of Lake Superior and over Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Accuweather.com said. Heavy accumulations were expected into Tuesday in areas downwind of Lake Huron, Georgian Bay, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. The Weather Channel said 1 to 2 feet of snow could fall on areas northeast of Cleveland to south of Buffalo and east of Lake Ontario. With wind gusts from 30-50 mph, visibility could be reduced considerably downwind of the Great Lakes, and major drifting was expected. Icy roads led to accidents as snow showers hit Chicago and Dayton, Ohio, In Texas Township, Mich., a 36-year-old woman was killed when the driver of a pickup truck in which she was a passenger lost control on an icy roadway and the truck rolled over Sunday evening, the Kalamazoo (Mich.) Gazette reported. The victim's name had not been released. The driver, 37, and a juvenile passenger were taken to a hospital as a precaution, authorities said. The lack of lake-effect snows thus far this winter has led to total accumulations much lower than average, The Weather Channel said. Erie, Pa., had received 25.8 inches less than it normally would have by Dec. 31, Marquette, Mich., 27.9 inches less, and Syracuse, N.Y., 35.4 inches less.