Large storm to bring drenching rain and snow to the Great Plains
A Great Plains storm will kick off the next week of November with another round of of heavy rain and even accumulating snow for the first time this season.
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The same storm that will bring the first rain showers of the season to parts of Southern California to end the week will get new life over the Great Plains next week. It can bring heavy rain to some areas that have been hit by downpours recently and perhaps even the first snowfall of the season to others, AccuWeather meteorologists say.
Spotty, but gusty showers and thunderstorms will sweep across the deserts this weekend. As that energy reaches the southern High Plains, a large storm will take shape.
Drought conditions are causing much of the Plains states, as well as many areas in the nation, to experience various degrees of long-term abnormal dryness.
"The storm will be largely beneficial over the southern and central Plains where it is likely to bring a general 1-3 inches of rain with local amounts to near 6 inches spanning Sunday night to Monday night," AccuWeather Senior Storm Warning Meteorologist Eddie Walker said.
Flash flooding is a concern following downpours earlier this month
In some cases, too much rain will fall too fast and can lead to flash flooding in urban areas and small streams.
Wichita, Kansas, has experienced its fifth wettest November on record in only the first 13 days. If enough rain falls from late this weekend to early next week, it could eclipse the record of 6.69 inches of rain set more than 100 years ago in 1909.
Farther south, at Oklahoma City, the November record is 9.63 inches set in 1931. With rainfall already at nearly 7 inches, a top three or top two November rainfall could easily be reached.
The same storm can set off locally severe thunderstorms from late Sunday to Tuesday over the southern and central Plains, the extent and magnitude of which will be closely monitored by AccuWeather meteorologists.
First general snowfall of season possible for northern Plains
As the storm tracks from southwest to northeast over the Plains, it will encounter colder air farther north.
"Should the right pieces fall into place, many areas from North Dakota and Minnesota and into southern Canada may receive their first snowfall of the season from Tuesday to Wednesday of next week," AccuWeather Meteorologists Brandon Buckingham said.
In eastern areas, such as Minneapolis, the precipitation is expected to fall as rain. Even if there were to be snow, this would not be the first snowfall of the season for the Twin Cities, as a coating to a couple of inches of snow fell on Halloween.
Should the storm evolve to its full potential, accumulating snow could be accompanied by strengthening winds and a considerable amount of blowing and drifting snow with poor travel conditions.
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