Traveling across the Intermountain West “remains dangerous and discouraged, especially along mountain passes where prolonged closures are likely. Dangerous avalanches are also likely in the Sierra Nevada, Washington Cascades, Northern Rockies and Wasatch,” according to the Weather Prediction Center. Saturday.
Bitter cold in the coming days will affect states from Montana to Michigan.
“Dangerous wind chills. Chills as low as 55 below zero,” the National Weather Service office in Great Falls, Montana, said in an update Sunday. “The dangerous chills from the wind can cause frostbite to exposed skin within 5 minutes.” The warning will remain in effect until Monday afternoon.
Meanwhile, unusual heat will continue to roast the south as wildfire risk extends across the central plains.
Avalanche Warnings in 6 Western States
All this snow may be a ski enthusiast’s dream, but it also covers roads and reduces visibility. Avalanche warnings went into effect Sunday for parts of Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Colorado and California, as recent heavy snowfall and wind have left widespread areas of unstable snow.
“Avalanches can travel long distances and may end up in low-lying terrain that is generally considered safe,” the Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center warned on Sunday.
Major snow and rain systems have swept through western states in recent weeks, leading to an impressively high snow pack for California. By Saturday, the Golden State had taken up 130% of its normal snow cover for that date; on December 1, it was only 18%.
And more moisture is on the way for much of the West in the coming days. New snowfall is measured in feet over the Sierras, Cascades, and Rocky Mountains. A
tire of heavier snow has setup in the Seattle metro area Sunday, with snow accumulations of 4 to 6 inches expected, with higher total possible locally.
Heavy rainfall is expected in lowland areas, possibly leading to localized flash flooding in areas where the soil is saturated. Las Vegas, for example, has received 2 inches of rain since Wednesday — four times the December average. Rain will return on Monday, possibly mixed with some snow on Tuesday.
More rain is also forecast for parts of the west coast where heavy rain has fallen in the past 24 hours. That includes areas in Santa Barbara County, California and other suburbs in northwestern Los Angeles where just over an inch of rain fell. A weather meter near the University of Southern California campus reported nearly a 10th of an inch in just 2 minutes overnight Saturday, according to the
NWS Los Angeles Office.
Cold conditions for the Midwest
Snow will fall in the Upper Midwest on Sunday, accumulating more than a foot possibly from the Dakotas to northern Michigan. Winter storm warnings have been issued for eastern North Dakota, northern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin.
“The buildup of snow, along with potential drift, will make some roads nearly impossible to traverse,” the weather office in Grand Forks, North Dakota, said Sunday. “As we go into Monday, snow is becoming more of an impact, with reduced visibility likely.”
As this system sweeps across the Great Lakes, lake-effect snow improvements are certain, as most lakes remain ice-free. Heavy lake effect snow combined with wind gusts up to 40 mph will lead to near blizzards. Snowstorm warnings may be issued, according to the Duluth, Minnesota Weather Service.
“Temperatures outside in the Northern Plains will be terrifying this week,” the forecast center said on Sunday
in a tweet. “A large area will drop below 0F and some areas to -30°F. The wind will make it feel even colder. Very limited exposure – if any – outdoors would be ideal.”
Even after this system goes through, the cold temperatures don’t stop.
Morning lows are forecast to be below zero in parts of Montana and North Dakota, with daytime highs on Sunday struggling to break out of the single digits. Monday morning, the lows are forecast to be bitterly cold, possibly as cold as below 15 to below 25, and wind chills will be even colder.
Fargo, North Dakota, goes from a high of 25 degrees on Monday to a high of just 1 degree on Tuesday. Denver sees a similar drop, from 48 degrees Monday to 34 degrees Tuesday.
Heat continues south, as does fire hazard
Remarkably warm temperatures remain anchored over the southern US and are set to continue into the first half of the week. More than 250 warm lows and highs per day are expected to be broken in the coming days.
Today’s departure temperatures will be warmest in the southern plains, with highs in the 70s and 80s — 25 to 40 degrees above normal.
A “critical fire risk” — Level 2 out of 3 — is in effect in the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles and eastern Colorado and western Kansas due to the unusually warm temperatures, low humidity and windy conditions.
Sustained winds of 30 to 50 mph with gusts of 60 to 80 mph could lead to blowing dust and difficult travel conditions in these regions on Sunday. There are high wind warnings and red flag warnings.