Cross-country storm duo to aim at West first
By
Courtney Travis, AccuWeather senior meteorologist &
Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Feb 18, 2022 2:02 PM EDT
|
Updated Feb 21, 2022 6:23 AM EDT
Another snowstorm puts Denver five inches closer to erasing a nearly 20-inch snow deficit after the latest first snow in city history.
February has been a stormy month across much of the United States, and AccuWeather forecasters say that the pattern doesn’t look like it will change anytime soon. Two cross-country storms are likely to initially develop in the West and cause widespread travel disruptions throughout this week.
A break from storms began at midweek along the Pacific coast and extended to the Colorado Rockies on Friday, and it will continue into the first part of the weekend before a new system arrives.
As the jet stream dives southward across the West Coast and the Rockies, a couple of storms will organize in the West and bring broad impacts that can last into midweek.
A wave of snow is expected to continue sweeping across the Washington and Oregon Cascades as well as the mountainous terrain of Idaho, Montana and northwestern Wyoming into Monday with the first storm. Accumulations could reach a foot or more over the high country in the region, but a general swath of 3-6 was expected to fall at the passes of the Cascades and in many intermediate elevations in the northern Rockies through Monday.
On Sunday, snowfall reports hovered around 2-4 inches across intermediate elevations in the northern Rockies, with additional accumulations expected on Monday. In Montana, the higher elevation locations of Bynum and Dupuyer had already reported 7 inches from the snowfall of Sunday.
In addition to several inches of snow accumulating on roadways with this storm, a surge in gusty winds will likely lead to blowing and drifting of snow. The combination will make for difficult travel conditions into Monday morning, including at and below pass level. On Sunday, wind gusts upwards of 45 mph were reported near Gallatin Gateway, Montana.
Widespread travel disruptions are expected in the West, including across portions of interstates 15, 25, 70, 80, and 90, especially through the higher terrain.
As the first storm continues to dive farther south on Monday, Presidents Day, snow will expand into much of Wyoming, part of Utah, the Colorado Rockies, parts of northern Nevada and the northern Sierra Nevada. Areas much farther to the east in the Dakotas, Minnesota and Wisconsin will also be enveloped by snow.
Precipitation amounts will be lower across areas farther to the south and west, spanning much of California, southern Nevada and Arizona, but there can be enough snow reaching the northern Sierra Nevada to make for slippery travel into Monday.
The second storm that will arrive from later Tuesday into Wednesday is likely to be more impactful for the Southwest.
It will bring a moderate accumulation to much of the Sierra Nevada on the order of 6-10 inches with locally higher amounts, which is generally much more than the storm that hit the region early this week. Slippery travel is likely over the heavily traveled Donner Pass along Interstate 80 in California. It is the second storm that has a chance of bringing several inches of snow to the mountains of northern Arizona, northern New Mexico and southern Utah.
On the storm's southern side, gusty winds are also expected to develop across portions of the Southwest. Given the extremely dry conditions in these areas, the winds are likely to cause an elevated fire risk to these locations. Episodes of blowing dust and crosswinds can hinder travel along portions of the interstates 10 and 20 in the Southwest as well.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Sporadic rain showers are expected to reach low elevations of central and Southern California from Tuesday to Wednesday, but widespread drenching rainfall is not anticipated. Depending on the strength of the jet stream dip, there can be brief downpours and gusty thunderstorms with hail, similar to the storm setup from earlier this week.
The storm is also expected to continue the temperature rollercoaster ride that the region has experienced over the past week.
"Neither of the two storms will bring much moisture and are unlikely to have a significant impact on the long-term drought in the Southwest, but they will bring much colder conditions to the region," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dave Bowers said.
For example, following highs well into the 70s this weekend in the Los Angeles area, temperatures will be slashed by 15-20 degrees with highs forecast to range from the upper 50s to the lower 60s from Monday to Wednesday, Bowers added.
The most dramatic swing in temperature is likely from the interior Northwest to the Rockies as the storms progress.
Temperatures in communities from Boise, Idaho, to Denver are likely to get a springlike boost over the weekend. Many locations can expect high temperatures more akin to late March rather than February. A high of 63 F was recorded in the Mile High City on Sunday, which is 17 degrees above normal for this time of year. However, the arrival of the first storm will also usher in the arrival of another wave of cold air.
"Very cold air will move into the Rockies with this storm; temperature readings can easily be 15-25 F degrees below normal, perhaps even colder for valley locations in the Rockies and High Plains that get fresh snow," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Joseph Bauer.
After soaring into the 50s and 60s over the weekend, temperatures will take a nosedive, plummeting into the 20s and 30s by Monday and Tuesday for cities like Great Falls, Montana, Salt Lake City and Denver.
The impacts of the storm duo will not be limited to the western half of the United States.
The first storm will roll northeastward into the Plains and Northeast into midweek before the second storm shifts eastward across the country from Thursday into Friday.
Both storms will bring the risk of severe thunderstorms and drenching rain. Problems associated with flooding are likely from portions of the South to parts of the Ohio Valley and the Appalachians.
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
Report a Typo
News / Winter Weather
Cross-country storm duo to aim at West first
By Courtney Travis, AccuWeather senior meteorologist & Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Feb 18, 2022 2:02 PM EDT | Updated Feb 21, 2022 6:23 AM EDT
Another snowstorm puts Denver five inches closer to erasing a nearly 20-inch snow deficit after the latest first snow in city history.
February has been a stormy month across much of the United States, and AccuWeather forecasters say that the pattern doesn’t look like it will change anytime soon. Two cross-country storms are likely to initially develop in the West and cause widespread travel disruptions throughout this week.
A break from storms began at midweek along the Pacific coast and extended to the Colorado Rockies on Friday, and it will continue into the first part of the weekend before a new system arrives.
As the jet stream dives southward across the West Coast and the Rockies, a couple of storms will organize in the West and bring broad impacts that can last into midweek.
A wave of snow is expected to continue sweeping across the Washington and Oregon Cascades as well as the mountainous terrain of Idaho, Montana and northwestern Wyoming into Monday with the first storm. Accumulations could reach a foot or more over the high country in the region, but a general swath of 3-6 was expected to fall at the passes of the Cascades and in many intermediate elevations in the northern Rockies through Monday.
On Sunday, snowfall reports hovered around 2-4 inches across intermediate elevations in the northern Rockies, with additional accumulations expected on Monday. In Montana, the higher elevation locations of Bynum and Dupuyer had already reported 7 inches from the snowfall of Sunday.
In addition to several inches of snow accumulating on roadways with this storm, a surge in gusty winds will likely lead to blowing and drifting of snow. The combination will make for difficult travel conditions into Monday morning, including at and below pass level. On Sunday, wind gusts upwards of 45 mph were reported near Gallatin Gateway, Montana.
Widespread travel disruptions are expected in the West, including across portions of interstates 15, 25, 70, 80, and 90, especially through the higher terrain.
As the first storm continues to dive farther south on Monday, Presidents Day, snow will expand into much of Wyoming, part of Utah, the Colorado Rockies, parts of northern Nevada and the northern Sierra Nevada. Areas much farther to the east in the Dakotas, Minnesota and Wisconsin will also be enveloped by snow.
Precipitation amounts will be lower across areas farther to the south and west, spanning much of California, southern Nevada and Arizona, but there can be enough snow reaching the northern Sierra Nevada to make for slippery travel into Monday.
The second storm that will arrive from later Tuesday into Wednesday is likely to be more impactful for the Southwest.
It will bring a moderate accumulation to much of the Sierra Nevada on the order of 6-10 inches with locally higher amounts, which is generally much more than the storm that hit the region early this week. Slippery travel is likely over the heavily traveled Donner Pass along Interstate 80 in California. It is the second storm that has a chance of bringing several inches of snow to the mountains of northern Arizona, northern New Mexico and southern Utah.
On the storm's southern side, gusty winds are also expected to develop across portions of the Southwest. Given the extremely dry conditions in these areas, the winds are likely to cause an elevated fire risk to these locations. Episodes of blowing dust and crosswinds can hinder travel along portions of the interstates 10 and 20 in the Southwest as well.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Sporadic rain showers are expected to reach low elevations of central and Southern California from Tuesday to Wednesday, but widespread drenching rainfall is not anticipated. Depending on the strength of the jet stream dip, there can be brief downpours and gusty thunderstorms with hail, similar to the storm setup from earlier this week.
The storm is also expected to continue the temperature rollercoaster ride that the region has experienced over the past week.
"Neither of the two storms will bring much moisture and are unlikely to have a significant impact on the long-term drought in the Southwest, but they will bring much colder conditions to the region," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dave Bowers said.
For example, following highs well into the 70s this weekend in the Los Angeles area, temperatures will be slashed by 15-20 degrees with highs forecast to range from the upper 50s to the lower 60s from Monday to Wednesday, Bowers added.
The most dramatic swing in temperature is likely from the interior Northwest to the Rockies as the storms progress.
Temperatures in communities from Boise, Idaho, to Denver are likely to get a springlike boost over the weekend. Many locations can expect high temperatures more akin to late March rather than February. A high of 63 F was recorded in the Mile High City on Sunday, which is 17 degrees above normal for this time of year. However, the arrival of the first storm will also usher in the arrival of another wave of cold air.
"Very cold air will move into the Rockies with this storm; temperature readings can easily be 15-25 F degrees below normal, perhaps even colder for valley locations in the Rockies and High Plains that get fresh snow," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Joseph Bauer.
After soaring into the 50s and 60s over the weekend, temperatures will take a nosedive, plummeting into the 20s and 30s by Monday and Tuesday for cities like Great Falls, Montana, Salt Lake City and Denver.
More to see:
The impacts of the storm duo will not be limited to the western half of the United States.
The first storm will roll northeastward into the Plains and Northeast into midweek before the second storm shifts eastward across the country from Thursday into Friday.
Both storms will bring the risk of severe thunderstorms and drenching rain. Problems associated with flooding are likely from portions of the South to parts of the Ohio Valley and the Appalachians.
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
Report a Typo