Weekend snowstorm heading to key Midwest freight markets

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