The Midwest's 'snowpocalypse' predictions: By the numbers

The worst storm of the season is expected to hit the Midwest in the next couple of days, and prognosticators aren't stinting on the hyperbole

The blizzard that is expected to wallop the Midwest this week (satellite image shown) could rival the 1967 storm that dumped 23 inches of snow over Chicago.
(Image credit: Getty)

"Do not travel! Stay inside!" is the alert from the National Weather Service, regarding a "life-threatening storm" that's hitting the Midwest Tuesday before sweeping across to the East Coast. The "potentially historic and destructive" storm is expected to be the worst of this already unusually harsh winter, and one of the biggest in recent years. As experts warn of blizzards, ice storms and sleet, bitter cold and civilization-stalling amounts of snow, here's a look at the latest "snowpocalypse" 2011, by the numbers:

100 million

Estimated number of people who could be affected by the storm

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

1/3

Portion of U.S. population potentially affected by the storm

8

Number of states under blizzard warnings, as of Tuesday

328

Number of flights canceled nationwide, as of Monday afternoon

-50 degrees

Expected temperature, with wind chill, in Colorado, Wyoming, the Dakotas, and Kansas

2 feet

Amount of snow expected in some areas, including St. Louis, Milwaukee, and Kansas City

4 tons

Amount of ice-melt pellets Do it Best Hardware, near St. Louis, sold in four hours Monday

600

Number of National Guard troops mobilized in Missouri to deal with the storm

40 mph

Expected wind speeds in ice storm hitting Indiana

11,030

Number of Indianapolis residents without power as of Tuesday morning

20 inches

Predicted snowfall in Chicago

23 inches

Chicago's heaviest-ever snowstorm, in January 1967

19

The average number of years between storms of this size in Chicago

394

Number of plow trucks (and modified garbage trucks) Chicago has at the ready

60 mph

Predicted speed of wind gusts in the Windy City

5 inches

Predicted snowfall in central and Western Texas

Sources: Bloomberg Businessweek, NPR, Weather Channel, AP, CNN, Chicago Tribune, Indy 6 News, AFP, Time

Continue reading for free

We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.

Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.