AccuWeather.com reports a storm crossing the Four Corners region today will impact millions of people as it crosses the nation this upcoming week with the potential for significant snow, ice, flooding rain and strong storms. This is the same storm system that caused flooding and destructive mudslides in Southern California on Saturday.
Widespread travel disruptions will result as the storm spreads messy weather eastward, while communities in the mid-Atlantic that were buried by the "Blizzard of 2010" could be hit by snow again.
Forecast challenges from this storm, in addition to the exact track--which will determine who gets snow, ice or rain, include the fact that there will be two centers of the storm. In between, there may be a zone with little or no precipitation.
With the current projected path of the storm, the Colorado Rockies, southern Kansas, northern parts of the Texas Panhandle, northern Oklahoma and central Missouri are in line for a substantial snow. Up to a foot of snow will fall in this zone through Monday night.
The snowstorm will really begin to intensify over the southern Plains tonight into Monday after targeting the mountains of the Four Corners region. The snow map for this storm can be found in this AccuWeather.com Headline.
Motorists who travel along I-25, I-40 and I-70 among other major interstates and secondary roads throughout the region could run into slow travel and hazardous roadway conditions.
Cities that lie in the path of the storm that could have other problems, like flight delays and cancellations with the storm this week, include: Flagstaff, Denver, Oklahoma City, Kansas City, St. Louis, Chicago, Minneapolis, Indianapolis, Nashville, Cincinnati, Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Albany, Washington, Philadelphia, New York, Hartford and Boston.
A corridor to the south of the heavy snow from the Texas Panhandle through central Oklahoma, northern Arkansas and portions of the Tennessee Valley may be dealing with treacherous freezing rain. This AccuWeather.com Headline has more details on the threat of ice.
Winds will also increase across a large area on the Plains into the beginning of the week, causing threats like blowing snow. Power outages could even become a problem where the strongest winds howl.
The South Regional News story has information on the flood and strong storm threat associated with the storm. For more speculation on impacts in the mid-Atlantic, consult the East Regional News story.
Story by AccuWeather.com Meghan Evans
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