Another blanket of snow whitened areas from the Plains to the upper Midwest on Sunday. Accumulations in excess of 6 inches were reported across parts of South Dakota and Nebraska. Two to 6 inches fell from northwest Iowa to Upper Michigan. The snow across the continental U.S. is well above normal for late October. On average, only 3.3% of the country has snow this time of year, mostly at higher elevations. On Sunday, snow covered 19.2% of the nation. Cold air will remain in place heading into midweek, but a major shift in upper level wind flow is due to sweep across the region by Friday. Temperatures are expected to rise above normal across all but the South and Northeast by Halloween. Forecasts through early November advertise mild weather, with daytime temps in the 50’s and 60s for the Chicago area.