WeatherFanatics: Travel-Disrupting Snowstorm to Target Calgary, Minneapolis

Saturday, November 8, 2014

Travel-Disrupting Snowstorm to Target Calgary, Minneapolis

By Alex Sosnowski, Expert Senior Meteorologist

November 8,2014; 9:10PM,EST

As frigid air begins to push southward across the central United States next week, a swath of accumulating snow will push eastward from the Rockies, northern Plains and into part of the Midwest.
Before the snow reaches the U.S., accumulating snow will spread from central British Columbia to central and southern Alberta on Saturday night through Sunday.
A total of around 15 cm (6 inches) is in store for Calgary with higher amounts in the mountains and locations to the east.
The storm will move on to affect parts of Montana and Wyoming with snow, plunging temperatures and dangerous travel conditions on Sunday through Monday. High winds will howl, causing blowing snow and white-out conditions in some areas.

Also spanning Monday and Tuesday, the storm will turn farther east and could affect some major cities in the Midwest or at least connecting highways with snow.
The swath from northern South Dakota and southwestern North Dakota to central Minnesota, northern Wisconsin and northern Michigan are at greatest risk for substantial snow totaling 6 to 12 inches.
The heaviest snow zone currently encompasses the cities of Aberdeen, South Dakota, Minneapolis, and Wausau and Green Bay, Wisconsin.
The snow pressing across the Midwest will come in two rounds Monday through Tuesday. There is concern for localized amounts in excess of a foot in places that receive each round of heavier snow. That is especially true across northeastern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
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However, a shift in track of the storm by a couple of hundred miles could put the heavy snow zone over Fargo, North Dakota, and Duluth, Minnesota, or to the south over Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Portions of highways that may be impacted by snow and slippery travel in the Central states include interstates 25, 29, 35, 75, 80, 90 and 94.
The snow will initially melt as it falls on roads but is likely to create slushy and slippery conditions as temperatures tumble with advancing arctic air and the southward dip of the polar vortex.

Temperatures will plunge below freezing during and shortly after the storm. Parts of the northern Plains may experience temperatures dipping into the single digits and teens.
People can keep up to date on the developing snowstorm and the progress of the cold air by checking in at AccuWeather.com.
Travelers will want to make sure they and their vehicles are prepared for the snow and wintry temperatures.

As the second round of snow moves through the Midwest on Tuesday, additional snow will push over the northern Rockies.
Later in the week, another storm may bring snow to part of the Northeast. Looking further ahead, AccuWeather.com meteorologists are also monitoring the possibility of a winter storm crossing the country with a swath of snow from the Northwest to the central Plains to the Northeast next Thursday to the following Monday.

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