Some parts of the continental United States (CONUS) will have snowy roads today, November 5, while others will be wet. In either case, drivers will have to take it slow at times from the High Plains to the Midwest, and from the Southwest to the Mid-Atlantic. Shippers should expect minor delays.
Snowfall
Locally heavy snow bands will set up in parts of Montana and the Dakotas the rest of today, in addition to southern Minnesota, northern and eastern Iowa, and a large portion of Wisconsin later tonight. Drivers may run into delays on sections of I-15, I-29, I-90 and I-94 from Great Falls to Bismarck, Brookings, Minneapolis, Cedar Rapids, Milwaukee and Rockford.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for portions of Montana, Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin. These alerts are housed inside the FreightWaves SONAR Critical Events platform in the map above (blue-green shaded areas within the red outlined region). The NWS may issue additional alerts. Although the general public may not consider this a major storm, snowfall intensity could occasionally limit visibility for truckers who have to drive through these areas.
Most accumulations will be four inches or less. However, six to eight inches of snow could pile up in Montana in the high elevations and foothills around Great Falls, Lewiston, Chinook, Logan Pass, Marias Pass and Cut Bank.
Rainfall
It will be a wet day for New England coastal communities where some spots of heavy rain could pop up along the I-95 corridor. Meanwhile, persistent light rain will make for a dreary day across interior portions of the Northeast, which is where heavy snowfall could arrive by Thursday or Friday, November 7 or 8. Rainfall totals through tonight for most areas will be less than one inch.
Look for scattered showers and thunderstorms today and tonight from Florida to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, in addition to parts of Texas, Oklahoma and the Desert Southwest. Rain may be locally heavy at times, but the odds for flash flooding are low. Large hail, severe winds and tornadoes are unlikely.
Additional Notes
In response to the recent California wildfires, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has suspended certain regulations, including hours of service, for truck drivers who want to provide direct emergency assistance in the state.
Trucking companies hauling supplies, goods, equipment and fuel into California, or providing other emergency assistance, are exempt from Parts 390 through 399 of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs). Direct assistance ends when a truck is used in interstate commerce to transport cargo or provide services not directly supporting the emergency relief effort.
The FMCSA has also temporarily suspended hours of service and other regulations for drivers in several Midwestern states. This is due to early season winter-like conditions that have created higher than normal demand for heating fuel for household use in the following states – Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin. This Emergency Declaration provides for regulatory relief for commercial motor vehicle operations while providing direct assistance supporting emergency relief efforts transporting heating fuel, including propane, as well as natural gas and heating oil into the affected states.