Denver, Tulsa, Kansas City & Madison in Line for Snow
Mild air funneled across the Rockies, Plains and Great Lakes on Wednesday, but winter is set to make a comeback. Disruptive snow will soon plague these regions, including some places where rivers remain out of their banks.
Any accumulating snow today will be confined to the northern Rocky Mountains. Tonight is when the snow will spread to the Front Range of the central Rockies and into the central Plains.
The snow will encompass more of the central Plains on Friday, as well as drop southward through the Front Range. Friday night into Saturday, the snow will stretch from the Texas Panhandle and Oklahoma to Michigan.
The snow will accumulate around 6 inches in Cheyenne and Denver. Between 3 and 6 inches will whiten Tulsa, Kansas City, Cedar Rapids and Madison through Saturday night. Do not be fooled when rain starts to fall. A changeover to snow will soon follow.
Gusty northerly winds will worsen the situation by whipping the snow around and reducing visibility.
Travel along Interstates 25, 44, 70, 76 and 80 will become slow and slippery. Parents should plan for Friday's snow to cause school cancellations or early dismissals.
Airline passengers will likely experience lengthy flight delays and potential cancellations. The resultant ripple effect threatens to impact travelers at other airports across the nation.
Chicago will lie in the path of the snow this weekend. Residents will be forced to use their snow shovels and brushes as up to a few inches will accumulate.
The snow may shift towards the St. Lawrence Valley Sunday into Monday. It should be noted that this track is far from certain. The snow could shift more to the east.
The upcoming disruptive snow may be hard to believe with temperatures generally soaring into the 60s from the central Plains to the lower Great Lakes today. Invading cold air will have this area enduring highs in the 30s and 40s at some point from Friday into the weekend.
While the snow could disrupt travel and daily routines, there is one benefit to the cold blast. The rate of snow melt will slow across the flood-ravaged northern and central Plains and part of the Midwest.
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Daily U.S. Extremes
past 24 hours
| Extreme | Location | |
|---|---|---|
| High | 82° | Gila Bend, AZ |
| Low | -13° | Clayton Lake, ME |
| Precip | 1.24" | Spanish Fork, UT |
WeatherWhys®
The "Dead of Winter," the one-month period when normal temperatures reach their lowest levels, has come to an end for much of the United States. Some people may find it odd that the "Dead of Winter" does not encompass the darkest day of the year (the first day of winter). That is due to a seasonal lag in temperatures. More heat continues to be lost than is gained from the start of winter until this time of year.
This Day In Weather History
Gulf Coast 1 (899)
ry cold morning along Gulf Coast; New Orleans 6.8 deg.; Mobile -1 deg.; Pensacola 7 deg.; Tallahassee -2 deg (All time record for Florida. Brownsville 12 deg. (all time low).
North Dakota 1 (936)
this date the mercury plummeted to -60 deg. at Parshall, ND - the coldest temperature ever for the State of ND. Later the same year, the mercury soared to 121 deg. at Steele, ND - the hottest temperature ever for the state of ND.
Rough Weather
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