Blizzard and winter storm alerts have been expanded to cover 13 million Americans from the mountains of Southern California to the Great Lakes as Winter Storm Kayla kicks into high gear with heavy snow and high winds, leading to major travel headaches early this week.

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Winter Weather Alerts

(Alerts issued by the National Weather Service, in association with Winter Storm Kayla.)

Comparing to the Groundhog Blizzard of 2011

An impressive winter storm dropped more than a foot of snow from parts of Oklahoma into Missouri, Illinois and Michigan., as winds gusted to 50 to 60 mph with the snow.

A map showing snowfall totals from the Groundhog Day Blizzard of 2011.

(NOAA)

In Chicago, this event was the third heaviest snowstorm on record with 21.2 inches of snow from Jan. 31 to Feb. 2, 2011. The Windy City also set a 24 hour snowfall record with an even 20 inches during the height of the storm.

The main difference between Winter Storm Kayla and the Groundhog Day Blizzard of 2011 is the storm track.

In 2011, low pressure began to develop over coastal Texas and ejected north-northeast into the mid-Mississippi Valley. This track was far enough south and east to allow cold air to reach,and, where temperatures stayed below freezing throughout the entire event.

Despite Winter Storm Kayla forecast to occur on the same calendar days as the 2011 Groundhog Day winter storm, there will likely be some differences in snowfall this time around.

Early this week, the low pressure is forecast to track farther north and west than the 2011 event. The corridor from Oklahoma City to Chicago should see mainly rain, as they end up near or south of the storm's track. However, this setup could result in heavy accumulating snow for areas such as,and.

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Young Tre Schlegel, 5, makes a path across Warren Ave at Madison St. to make way for his grandmother later in the day during a heavy snowstorm, Feb. 2, 2016. (Andy Cross/The Denver Post)