AccuWeather.com

By Meghan Evans, Meteorologist

Mar 19, 2010; 11:15 AM ET

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A major snowstorm will grind to the south and east across the Rockies and central and southern Plains through the first part of the weekend, impacting travel and daily activities for many in the region.

Up to 2 feet of snow will fall on the mountains and foothills in the Colorado Rockies. Denver may have its biggest snowstorm since last fall.

Significant snow will also fall in an area well east of Denver, reaching Wichita and Kansas City.

While the heaviest snow is likely to fall on the Colorado and northern New Mexico mountains, another bull's-eye of heavy snow will target part of the central and southern Plains.

Exactly where this zone of heavy snow set up will depend the position on what meteorologist call a "close off low." Just to the north and west of this low will be a swath of 1 foot or more snow accumulation.

Earlier in the day it appeared this would be over the Ozarks. As of Friday afternoon, it is looking more like the swath from south of Kansas City to northeast of Oklahoma City will be in the thick of the heaviest snow. Tulsa could be the place to be for "top dog" snowfall on the southern Plains.

A bit of snow could even find its way as far south as Dallas-Fort Worth.

Winds gusting past 30 mph will also create blowing and drifting of snow. This will add to the hazardous travel conditions over much of the region.

Chicago, Des Moines and Rockford will get lesser amounts of snow. People in these areas should still keep brushes handy to clear off cars, and allow extra time to travel.

Motorists will run into slow, slippery travel along interstates 25, 35 40, 70, 76, and 80. This includes areas where rain will fall before a changeover to snow. Furthermore, roadway conditions will rapidly deteriorate as rain changes to snow.

Airline passengers, including those flying into or out of Denver, should expect lengthy flight delays and cancellations. Ripple-effect flight delays will likely occur at other airports across the nation as a result. Significant flight impacts are possible at Chicago and St. Louis.

Temperatures will plummet behind the storm. In Denver Friday, readings were hovering in the 20s, nearly 40 degrees lower than it was Thursday. In Oklahoma City, temperatures reached well into the 60s Friday, but are expected to be in the 30s Saturday.

Gusty winds behind the storm will contribute to even colder AccuWeather.com RealFeel® temperatures.

Meanwhile, on the warmer eastern and southern side of the storm, heavy rainfall and some violent thunderstorms will erupt.

Be sure to check out the latest on the snow, flooding potential and severe thunderstorms on this tricky storm system here at AccuWeather.com.

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