Forming out of a shortwave trough on January 13, it first produced a swath of snowfall extending from the High Plains to the Midwestern United States.

Snowfall totals of up to one foot (0.30 m) were observed across much of the affected areas in the High Plains and Central United States, with the storm bringing gusty winds and numerous power outages in its wake.

Ice storm conditions were observed in the Southeastern states, while snowfall amounts in excess of two feet (0.61 m) were reported across Northeast Ohio.

A weak area of low pressure developed on January 13 in southwestern Canada along a stationary front from a weakening extratropical cyclone that was impacting the West Coast of the United States.

[5] From there, the system drifted southeastwards into the High Plains while delivering heavy snowfall and began moving more southwards through the states of Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri into the early morning hours of January 14.

[6] Later that day, at 21:00 UTC the Weather Prediction Center (WPC) began issuing periodic storm summary bulletins on the developing system, albeit with competing areas of low pressure.

[8] Associated cold air in place over the aforementioned areas allowed snow to break out in areas further south, as the system began occluding – with a new low forming just offshore in the northern Gulf of Mexico before moving onshore – later that night as snowfall, ice and mixed precipitation spread eastward towards the Southeastern United States into the early morning hours of January 16.

[11] In response to that, winter storm watches and warnings were issued across a large swath of southern Ontario and southwestern Quebec.

As the storm progressed, a rare blizzard warning was issued for much of the Greater Toronto Area and National Capital Region, now forecasting up to 60 centimetres (24 in) of snow.

[17] In hard hit areas, snow fell at a rate of over 10 centimetres (3.9 in) per hour during the morning of January 17, which along with winds created blizzard conditions.

[18] In Toronto, the storm prompted the closure of Gardiner Expressway and the Don Valley Parkway for several hours in the early afternoon to remove stranded automobiles and to facilitate plowing, while sections of Highway 401 were blocked by stranded vehicles for up to 12 hours with one section blocked until the late morning of the next day.

[44] In Staten Island, where temperatures remained 38 °F (3 °C) or higher during the event, significant rainfall of 2.06 inches (52 mm) fell.