Heavy Snow, Ice to Blast Central US This Weekend

By Jordan Root, Meteorologist

February 27,2015; 11:29PM,EST

 

 

The weekend is setting up to be a slippery and messy one across a large part of the Plains and Midwest as a new winter storm rolls northeastward.
"A piece of a storm in the West will eject out of the Four Corners region along a boundary between springlike and winterlike temperatures," said AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Ed Vallee.
Warm, moist air from the Gulf will surge into the Plains and will clash with cold air, setting the stage for disruptive ice, snow and rain.
Heavy snow is expected to break out along this boundary across the Midwest and will bring snow-packed roads and poor driving conditions to many folks.

The storm wasted no time producing snow over the southern Plains and northern Texas on Friday.
Motorists can expect periods of snow and slippery travel from Dallas to Oklahoma City and Wichita, Kansas, into Saturday.
More snow will fall on Denver this weekend, which has already set a record for snowfall in February. The old record of 22.1 inches of snow back in 1912 was surpassed by Friday.

Milder air moving up from the south will erode part of the area of snow later in the weekend.
Farther to the north, travel around Kansas City, Missouri, could be slippery much of the weekend.
The heaviest snow will extend northeastward from Kansas City to an area north of St. Louis and Indianapolis to near Chicago and Detroit, where a half of a foot is possible Saturday night into Sunday.
Heavy snow will also take aim at northern Ohio, northern Pennsylvania and New York state, as well as southern New England later in the weekend.
"Snow-covered roads will be a travel hazard farther north across the northern part of the Ohio Valley where cold air is more prominent," warned Vallee.

However, a slight shift to the north or south of the storm track by as little as 50 miles will affect the heaviest swath of snow.
Travel on Interstate 70, I-80 and I-90 will be severely impacted due to snow and low visibility. Those taking to the air will likely face flight delays at major hubs, including at Chicago's O'Hare Airport.
The cold air will be stubborn to leave some places as the warm air moves in, raising the risk for freezing rain and drizzle.
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The warmer air will eventually take over and will help erase the cold that has been entrenched across the Plains this past week.
After experiencing temperatures in the 30s at the end of the week, the surge of warmer air will bring 50s back into Dallas and surrounding areas.
As the warm air moves north and east into Sunday, the threat for ice will exist across southern Kansas, southeastern Missouri and the Ohio Valley.
AccuWeather.com will continue to provide updates on the extensive storm for the Central and Northeast states, as well as the West this weekend.