Northern Minnesota is under a new alert until Friday at 7 p.m.

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Residents of Northern states are hunkering down as heavy snow and high winds are threatening to create whiteout conditions on Wednesday afternoon and evening.

The National Weather Service predicted another round of storms would leave a foot of snow across South Dakota through Michigan. 

A snowfall rate of up to 2 inches an hour, freezing temperatures and wind speeds of 50 mph could continue to make travel treacherous, if not life-threatening, across Wyoming, Wisconsin and Minnesota. 

. As of 7:30 p.m. ET, more than 1,600 flights had been canceled, with Minneapolis International Airport scrapping half of its arrivals. Additionally, more than 5,200 flights had been delayed across the country. Airports in Chicago, Denver, Detroit and Milwaukee were also heavily impacted.

Schools across Minnesota, Wisconsin and the Dakotas announced closures as roads 

Forecasters said as much as half an inch of ice

 could accumulate across the Great Lakes into Thursday, especially in places that don't see much snowfall. 

An initial burst of storms already dropped several inches of snow across the Great Lakes yesterday. Parts of southwest Minnesota registered 7 inches of snow on Tuesday, 

A no-travel advisory and highway closures remained in effect in parts of the state as 

 that he would direct the state's National Guard, transportation department and state patrol to be ready to respond to emergencies.

In total, nearly half the country is predicted to experience some form of notable weather on Wednesday, the NWS reported in its daily bulletin.

In California, a trailing cold front sent wind speeds as high as 50-60 mph, threatening power lines. As of Wednesday evening, 

 were without power across the state. About 

8,000 customers were without power in Arizona

Snow also began to fall across Western mountain ranges on Wednesday, with as much as 2 feet expected in higher regions, the NWS said. That means lower elevations across California could see a winter mix, hail or heavy rain, a cause of anxiety for 

a state that's seen several rounds of deadly floods. 

And Thursday may not bring relief: A second storm will approach the West Coast on Thursday, bringing threats of renewed rain and snow, the NWS says. 

As temperatures in Southern California might not rise above 50 degrees, parts of the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic were expected to see highs in the 70s and 80s on Wednesday. 

"The forecast temperature gradient from the Mid-Atlantic into New England Thursday is worth noting, as highs in the 80s in Virginia drop to the single digits in northern Maine," the NWS said in its bulletin. 

If temperatures hit 80 degrees in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, as expected, they'd 

break the record of 78 degrees set in 1874, the AP reports.

But that warm front isn't likely to stick around for much longer. By Thursday, the same storm that's blanketing the plains will begin to slip into upstate New York and central New England, sending colder temperatures further south by the weekend. 

Emily Olson

Author

Jonathan Franklin

Heavy snow and high winds are causing blizzard conditions in the Upper Midwest. It's the latest stage of a three-day storm that's placed over half the country under winter weather warnings.

More than 1,600 flights have been canceled as heavy snow hits the Midwest

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