Go Back
  • For Business
  • |
  • Warnings
  • Data Suite
  • Newsletters
  • Advertising
  • Superior Accuracy™
At least 80 dead, 11 girls from camp still missing after catastrophic flooding in Texas. Read the latest Chevron right
Chantal bringing flooding in North Carolina. Get details Chevron right

Columbus, OH

77°F
Location Chevron down
Location News Videos
Use Current Location
Recent

Columbus

Ohio

77°
No results found.
Try searching for a city, zip code or point of interest.
settings
Columbus, OH Weather
Today WinterCast Local {stormName} Tracker Hourly Daily Radar MinuteCast Monthly Air Quality Health & Activities

Around the Globe

Hurricane Tracker

Severe Weather

Radar & Maps

News

News & Features

Astronomy

Business

Climate

Health

Recreation

Sports

Travel

For Business

Warnings

Data Suite

Newsletters

Advertising

Superior Accuracy™

Video

Winter Center

AccuWeather Early Hurricane Center Top Stories Trending Today Astronomy Heat Climate Health Recreation In Memoriam Case Studies Blogs & Webinars

News / Winter Weather

Another blizzard could clobber the central US before the new year

By Maura Kelly, AccuWeather meteorologist

Updated Dec 28, 2020 8:52 PM EDT

Copied

When the power goes out in the midst of a snowstorm, it's important to know what measures to take in order to ensure the safety of you and your loved ones.

After residents across parts of the northern Plains endured a blizzard before the Christmas holiday, another robust storm may bring another round of heavy snowfall and in lieu of gusty winds before the end of the year.

A storm that may bring the first chance for more than 0.10 of an inch of rainfall to Southern California since early November will push through California Sunday night through Monday and track over the southern Rockies. This storm will be the second in a series of storms expected to set up an unsettled pattern over the West Coast into the end of the year.

On Tuesday, the storm is forecast to leave the Rocky Mountains and emerge over the Plains where it is projected to strengthen. By Tuesday afternoon, areas of heavy rain and thunderstorms are expected to develop on the southern side of the storm and continue into Wednesday.

Any downpours can lead to flash flooding, mainly in low-lying and poor-drainage areas, including around Kansas City, Oklahoma City and Dallas. In addition, some of the thunderstorms across the South Central states could be locally heavy and gusty.

To the north, enough cold air will be in place for heavy snow to develop from Nebraska and Kansas to Minnesota and Wisconsin. Several inches of snow can accumulate in just 24 hours.

In addition to heavy snow, as the storm strengthens, wind speeds will also increase. The combination of these two factors may ultimately lead to blizzard conditions in some areas.

Major highways may once again be shut down across the region during the height of the storm, including long stretches of interstates 29, 70, 80, 90 and 94. People that must travel should make sure to pack emergency supplies in case they become stuck on a road shut down by snow or an accident.

A blizzard is defined as a storm that brings sustained winds of 35 mph or greater and visibility less than one-quarter of a mile for three consecutive hours.

Given the relatively flat terrain and lack of trees in portions of the Plains and Upper Midwest, some forecasters have nicknamed this zone of the country as "Blizzard Alley" during the winter months. Prior to the Christmas holiday, the Red River Valley in the Dakotas and Minnesota observed blizzard conditions as a powerful storm swept through the area, causing significant disruptions.

Minnesota state troopers helping to recover vehicles that were stranded off Highway 12 in Swift County, Minnesota, during blizzard conditions on Dec. 23, 2020. (Twitter/@MSPPIO_NW)

CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP

In addition to the potential blizzard conditions, the upcoming storm also has the potential to bring a swath of icy weather in the area between the rain and snow transition. Cities that may fall in this icy zone include Omaha, Nebraska, Des Moines, Iowa and even Madison, Wisconsin.

The storm will likely continue on across the Midwest Wednesday and into Thursday before widespread snow tapers off to lingering lake-effect snow showers. Upon departure from the Midwest, another round of potentially flooding rainfall will be possible across the Eastern Seaboard of the United States on New Years' Eve.

Related:

Storm produces white Christmas, power outages in East
How to prevent frostbite at this first warning sign
What if COVID actually arrived in the US far earlier than we currently think?

Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.

Report a Typo
Comments that don't add to the conversation may be automatically or manually removed by Facebook or AccuWeather. Profanity, personal attacks, and spam will not be tolerated.
Comments
Hide Comments

Weather News

Weather News

At least 80 dead in Texas, 11 girls at Camp Mystic missing in flooding

Jul. 6, 2025
video

Rescue operations underway after deadly Texas flooding

Jul. 6, 2025
video

What led to the deadly flooding in central Texas?

Jul. 6, 2025
Severe Weather

Severe weather to rumble in the central US through the holiday weekend

Jul. 6, 2025
Weather News

Record sargassum seaweed piles up on Caribbean islands, Gulf

Jul. 2, 2025
Weather News

Alabama teen in ICU after lightning strike hits boat, causing burns an...

Jul. 2, 2025
Show more Show less Chevron down

Topics

AccuWeather Early

Hurricane Center

Top Stories

Trending Today

Astronomy

Heat

Climate

Health

Recreation

In Memoriam

Case Studies

Blogs & Webinars

Top Stories

Weather News

At least 80 dead in Texas, 11 girls at Camp Mystic missing in flooding

10 hours ago

Hurricane

Chantal moving farther inland after making landfall in South Carolina

57 minutes ago

Weather News

Severe weather to storm through Plains, Upper Midwest this week

2 hours ago

Severe Weather

Storms kill 3 in New Jersey, knock out power across Northeast

2 days ago

Weather Forecasts

Heat, humidity return to the East

55 minutes ago

More Stories

Featured Stories

Weather News

Wildfires are tearing through a popular tourist hotspot in Greece

2 days ago

Weather News

‘Shark Whisperer’ swims its way into our shark obsession

2 days ago

Travel

Fourth of July gas hasn’t been this cheap since 2021

5 days ago

Weather News

France leads Europe in saying au revoir to beach and park smoking

3 days ago

Health

There is no safe amount of processed meat to eat, new research shows

3 days ago

AccuWeather Winter Weather Another blizzard could clobber the central US before the new year
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
© 2025 AccuWeather, Inc. "AccuWeather" and sun design are registered trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | About Your Privacy Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

...

...

...