CHICAGO (AP) — Large swaths of the U.S. prepared for one of the season’s first blasts of wintry weather Sunday as temperatures dipped and snow fell in the Northern Plains, snowstorms developed eastward across the Great Lakes and the South prepared for a big chill.

Flurries fell Sunday across parts of the Chicago area, a precursor to “intense” snowfall forecast to start in the evening in communities surrounding Lake Michigan. The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning into Monday, predicting wind gusts of up to 30 mph (48 kph) and as much as 18 inches (46 centimeters) of quickly-falling precipitation, along with thundersnow, a condition when thunderstorms combine with snow.

“This band is going to drop some very heavy snow and some hairy scenarios for the Monday morning com

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