Late-October Blizzard to Lash Northern Rockies

By Alex Sosnowski, Expert Senior Meteorologist

October 27,2013; 8:05PM,EDT

 

 

An all-out blizzard will unfold across the northern Rockies through Monday, creating travel nightmares.
The storm will ride a push of cold air moving out of Canada, which could slash temperatures by 20 to 40 degrees from one day to the next.
Heavy snow across Alberta on Sunday will spread southward across the northern Rockies through Monday with a bit of the snow grazing the western Dakotas.
A band of nuisance snow and wintry mix will streak across more of the northern Plains Monday night through Tuesday.

The snow, accompanied by gusty winds, dropping through the northern Rockies will be heavy enough to cause dangerous travel.
As temperatures plunge with the snow, roads can become slippery in a hurry with blowing and drifting snow causing poor visibility.
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The worst conditions will unfold in the higher terrain of western Montana and northwestern Wyoming, where an all-out blizzard will evolve and cause travel to become nearly impossible for a time.
Anyone who has plans on driving along portions of I-15, I-25, I-80 and I-90 across Montana and Wyoming should prepare for treacherous travel and lengthy delays late Sunday through Monday. Officials could be forced to close stretches of these interstates.

Cities that could be hit with some snow from the storm include Cut Banks and Billings, Mont.; Casper, Wyo.; and Rapid City, S.D. The day before the storm temperatures will be in the 60s and 70s, but the day of the snow temperatures may struggle to rise higher than the 30s with RealFeel® temperatures in the teens and lower 20s.
The same storm will also be responsible for kicking up strong winds across the Desert Southwest, returning snow to the highest elevations of California, Utah and Colorado and sparking strong thunderstorms over the southern and central Plains Texas Monday through Tuesday.
AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski contributed to the content of this story.

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NWS WPC

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6-12" of snow possible for parts of the northern Rockies/High Plains. More info here: goo.gl/U18f0s #mtwx #wywx #idwx #ndwx #sdwx

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Christopher Rye

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#Brighton #storm Beach covered in snow-like foam as crashing waves meet gale-force winds. A blizzard of spume.