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Major winter storm bringing snow, ice, tornadoes to central U.S.
<!--endclickprintinclude--><!--startclickprintexclude-->By Antoinette Campbell, CNN<SCRIPT type=text/javascript>cnnAuthor = "By Antoinette Campbell, CNN";</SCRIPT>
<SCRIPT type=text/javascript>if(location.hostname.indexOf( 'edition.' ) > -1) {document.write('January 31, 2011 -- Updated 1802 GMT (0202 HKT)');} else {document.write('January 31, 2011 1:02 p.m. EST');}</SCRIPT>January 31, 2011 1:02 p.m. ESTJanuary 31, 2011 1:02 p.m. EST
(CNN) -- Tens of millions of people are bracing for a major storm system poised to sweep through the central United States and beyond this week, according to weather forecasters.
Chicago, where a blizzard watch already has been issued, is expecting a snowstorm of historic proportions.
"This storm could be one of the top 10 biggest snowstorms ever in the city," said CNN meteorologist Sean Morris. The
same system is expected to coat large sections of the country's midsection in a thick blanket of snow, he said.
According to the National Weather Service, snowstorms that drop over 15 inches of snow occur once in about every 19 years in Chicago. The last time this happened was in January of 1999, when 21.6 inches of snow was recorded in the city.
In total, more than 20 states fall under winter storm advisories, watches or warnings, stretching from New Mexico in the southwest to Vermont in the northeast.
Forecasters have said the "dangerous storm" will begin to affect Missouri and Illinois, which were under storm warnings, as early as Monday.
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<!--endclickprintinclude--><!--startclickprintexclude-->By Antoinette Campbell, CNN<SCRIPT type=text/javascript>cnnAuthor = "By Antoinette Campbell, CNN";</SCRIPT>
<SCRIPT type=text/javascript>if(location.hostname.indexOf( 'edition.' ) > -1) {document.write('January 31, 2011 -- Updated 1802 GMT (0202 HKT)');} else {document.write('January 31, 2011 1:02 p.m. EST');}</SCRIPT>January 31, 2011 1:02 p.m. ESTJanuary 31, 2011 1:02 p.m. EST
(CNN) -- Tens of millions of people are bracing for a major storm system poised to sweep through the central United States and beyond this week, according to weather forecasters.
Chicago, where a blizzard watch already has been issued, is expecting a snowstorm of historic proportions.
"This storm could be one of the top 10 biggest snowstorms ever in the city," said CNN meteorologist Sean Morris. The
same system is expected to coat large sections of the country's midsection in a thick blanket of snow, he said.
According to the National Weather Service, snowstorms that drop over 15 inches of snow occur once in about every 19 years in Chicago. The last time this happened was in January of 1999, when 21.6 inches of snow was recorded in the city.
In total, more than 20 states fall under winter storm advisories, watches or warnings, stretching from New Mexico in the southwest to Vermont in the northeast.
Forecasters have said the "dangerous storm" will begin to affect Missouri and Illinois, which were under storm warnings, as early as Monday.
More:
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