A major winter storm hit the western US over the weekend, blanketing mountain areas with heavy snow, and is now set to cross the nation, threatening dangerous blizzard conditions, strong winds and flooding this week.
“This winter storm is a true coast-to-coast, top-to-bottom impact that will be felt by every person in the country at some point this week,” CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller said.
The storm already brought avalanche warnings to parts of the West, closing major highways as conditions turned icy.
More than 10 million people in more than a dozen states are under some level of winter weather alert as the powerful storm moves across the county, bringing with it a multi-day severe storm threat.
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The storm will strengthen as it travels east, bringing snow to the Rockies tonight, where a foot of snow is expected before the system strengthens even more.
The Upper Midwest, and the northern and central plains will be hardest hit Monday night into Tuesday as widespread heavy snow falls.
“Snow accumulations through Tuesday morning will generally range from 6 to 12 inches, centered on the northern high plains,” the weather forecast center said. “The highest snow totals are currently forecast for western South Dakota and northwestern Nebraska, where 18 to 24 inches are possible.”
Meanwhile, an extended area from eastern Wyoming and Colorado to western South Dakota and Nebraska will also have winds gusting up to 60 mph. Heavy snowfall and strong winds will set the scene for a blizzard, leading to slushy conditions and impassability.
Blizzard conditions are when there are sustained winds of 35 mph or higher and visibility below a quarter of a mile for at least three consecutive hours.
Winter storm warnings extend from the Canadian border to the Mexican border, and blizzard warnings extend from west of Denver to the Dakotas.
“All preparations for this storm should be well underway and completed sooner rather than later,” the National Weather Service office in Rapid City said.
Some locations within the blizzard warning areas could receive up to 20 inches of snow. Winds could be strong enough to topple tree limbs and cause power outages, and the harsh conditions could be deadly for anyone outdoors.
“Wind chills as low as 20 below zero could cause frostbite to exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes,” the weather service office in Cheyenne, Wyoming, said.
Farther east, ice warnings cover eastern North Dakota, where nearly half an inch of ice could accumulate. If it occurs, power outages are certain and commuting will be impossible.
Ice is also possible in southwestern Minnesota and western Iowa, where up to one-tenth of an inch of ice could develop.
While the storm brings slushy conditions to the North, the southern portion of the storm will have the potential to bring late-season tornadoes along with severe thunderstorms.
By Monday afternoon, thunderstorms will develop across western Kansas, as well as parts of Texas and Oklahoma. The Storm Prediction Center expects storms to develop quickly tonight after dark.
A severe weather risk level 2 out of 5 has been issued for the area, including Oklahoma City and Norman in Oklahoma as well as Colby and Garden City in Kansas and Wichita Falls in Texas.
“Occasionally damaging winds, isolated large hail and a few tornadoes will be possible tonight,” the Storm Prediction Center said.
Track the storms as they develop here.
As the storm system strengthens and pushes east on Tuesday, the potential for damaging winds, hail, flooding and even strong tornadoes will be a concern for parts of the Deep South, especially central Louisiana and east Texas.
“Anything severe will be possible with damaging winds, hail and a few more tornadoes late in the fall,” the weather service office in Shreveport said.
Shreveport, Monroe and Alexandria in Louisiana are under a level 3 out of 5 severe weather threat. Dallas, Fort Worth and New Orleans are at risk level 2.
“A few strong tornadoes will be possible, especially with any isolated thunderstorms that may develop just ahead of the main convective band,” the Storm Prediction Center said.
By Wednesday, storms are not expected to be as intense, but could still be strong along the Gulf Coast. New Orleans, Mobile and Tallahassee are all under a severe weather risk level 2 out of 5, as the chance for tornadoes will remain.
Very heavy rain will also be a concern, as several inches of rain could fall in a short period of time in some of the heaviest downpours.
There is a Level 2 out of 4 risk of excessive rainfall centered on the Lower Mississippi River Valley, as rainfall amounts could exceed 4 inches, leading to isolated pockets of flash flooding.
The region is starved for rain as the Mississippi River has seen some of its lowest water levels on record this fall. Rain this week could actually help the gauge near Memphis reach above the low water mark for the first time since mid-August. The slight bump in water levels is only expected to be temporary, but it’s a positive sign going forward.
The storm has already caused icy and dangerous conditions on major roadways, with authorities on Saturday closing a large stretch of Interstate 80 from Colfax in Northern California to Stateline, Nevada, due to “blowing snow and near-zero visibility.” Caltrans. the state transport agency said on Twitter.
In the Sierra Nevada, snowfall totals are already above average, according to the National Weather Service in Reno.
“The snow is about 225 percent of normal, so it’s more than double what we would expect this time in December,” said Mark Deutschendorf, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Reno office.
The Tahoe Basin and Eastern Sierra see snowfall totals typically recorded in January.
The storm blanketed some mountainous areas of drought-stricken California with heavy snow, including Soda Springs in the northern part of the state, which received 60 inches of snow in just 48 hours.
“It’s a lot like Christmas out here,” Deutschendorf said. “It didn’t come with a lot of air and it stuck to everything. It’s like a picture postcard.”
Watch the #snow stack in #Ketchum #idwx pic.twitter.com/GGTZZXXkVy — NWS Pocatello (@NWSPocatello) December 12, 2022 While noting that the snow totals so far are impressive, Deutschendorf said he is “cautiously optimistic” about this rainfall putting a big dent in the state’s drought.
“We had a similar series of storms last year. We had a good start and then from January to March they were incredibly dry,” explained Deutschendorf.
In California over the weekend, 48 inches of snow fell at Twin Bridges in a 48-hour period, 46 inches fell at Tahoe-Donner, 45 inches at Donner Peak and 44 inches at Palsades Tahoe Ski Base.
“We are buried,” Palisades Tahoe Ski Resort wrote on its website Sunday, sharing photos of heavy snow blanketing the ski resort in California’s Olympic Valley.
“This is definitely a storm to remember. We have now received 7.5 feet of snow since December 1st. Additionally, in just 24 hours from Saturday morning to Sunday morning, we received more than 35 inches of snow – the 6th largest total snowfall in 24 hours on record,” resort operators wrote.
