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Weekend snowstorm heading to key Midwest freight markets

Storm to impact major freight hubs of Chicago, Columbus

(Photo: Illinois DOT)

The powerful Sierra Nevada snowstorm is heading to the Midwest this weekend, but there’s good news — it won’t be a debilitating blizzard when it arrives. However, drivers still shouldn’t let their guards down. They will hit difficult driving conditions in some areas.

Up to 12 inches of snowfall could pile up in places from eastern Iowa to western Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia. However, accumulations of 5 to 10 inches will be most common. Wind gusts will reach 25 to 30 mph, producing some blowing or drifting snow and periods of reduced visibility.

The combination of wind and snow will cause supply chain disruptions on the roads, rails and tarmacs Saturday afternoon through Sunday night. Watch out for areas of freezing rain and icy conditions, too. Major cities within the potential impact zone include Chicago; Columbus, Ohio; and Pittsburgh. Other cities “on the bubble” include Milwaukee, Indianapolis and Cleveland. Drivers may run into occasional delays on portions of major interstates like I-80, I-90, I-55, I-57, I-65, I-71, I-77 and I-79. Potential road closures are possible.

Three key freight markets lie in the storm’s path — Chicago and Joliet, Illinois, as well as Columbus (circled in red on the map below). Another key market, Indianapolis, is close to the potential impact zone. They all have a high Outbound Tender Volume Index (OTVI) in FreightWaves SONAR. OTVI measures the amount of loads being offered by shippers to carriers. In other words, these are the places where drivers want to go to pick up freight. With the storm coming, they may want to arrive by early Saturday in order to avoid delays. Otherwise, they would have to wait until next week 



SONAR ticker: OTVI

The storm could also slow down loading/unloading of freight at intermodal ramps. Flights may be delayed or canceled, affecting air cargo flows. Scattered power outages are possible, and the storm could disrupt movement of grain and other commodities across portions of the Midwest.

Early next week, the storm could dump heavy snowfall along part of the I-95 corridor from the mid-Atlantic to New England, impacting large metropolitan areas such as Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City and Boston.

Click here for more FreightWaves articles by Nick Austin.


Nick Austin

Nick is a meteorologist with 20 years of forecasting and broadcasting experience. He was nominated for a Midsouth Emmy for his coverage during a 2008 western Tennessee tornado outbreak. He received his Bachelor of Science in Meteorology from Florida State University, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Management from the Georgia Tech. Nick is a member of the American Meteorological Society and National Weather Association. As a member of the weather team at WBBJ-TV in Jackson, Tennessee, Nick was nominated for a Mid-South Emmy for live coverage of a major tornado outbreak in February 2008. As part of the weather team at WRCB-TV in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Nick shared the Chattanooga Times-Free Press Best of the Best award for “Best Weather Team” eight consecutive years.