Mega storm to create blizzard conditions in north-central US
A wild storm with everything from severe thunderstorms and tornadoes to high winds, dust and wildfire dangers will also bring snow and blizzard conditions to parts of the north-central United States.
AccuWeather’s Jon Porter warns of a triple threat facing the central U.S., which include fire danger in the South, blizzards in the North and damaging winds and tornadoes in the heart of the nation.
The same storm that brought feet of snow to the Sierra Nevada will gain strength when over the central United States and deliver accumulating snow and create difficult travel from the Rockies to the Upper Midwest to end the week, AccuWeather meteorologists warn.
Just as the storm's warm sector will trigger a severe weather and tornado outbreak over the Mississippi Valley, the zone from Colorado to the Dakotas, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan will have to deal with its cold and snowy side.
The exact area where the heaviest snow falls will depend on how quickly and how much the storm ramps up and whether a band of snow is able to wrap around the backside and linger.
Several inches of snow will fall over portions of the northern Plains, centered on the Red River Valley of the North.
The storm is forecast to strengthen enough to create winds in excess of 35 mph and visibility less than one-quarter of a mile in snow or blowing snow for at least three hours in some areas—the official National Weather Service definition of a blizzard.
Travel will become dangerous for a time along portions of several interstates, including I-29, I-90, and I-94.
"In part of the Upper Midwest, accumulating snow and potential blizzard conditions will follow a surge of warm air with rain and/or severe thunderstorms," AccuWeather Meteorologist Matt Benz said.
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