Winter Storm Ajax, the First Named Winter Storm of the Season, to Bring Blizzard Conditions to High Plains

Linda Lam
Published: November 16,2015
Winter Storm Ajax, the first major winter storm of the season, was named by the The Weather Channel on Monday morning.
Ajax is currently spreading snow through the Rockies and into the High Plains. Its greatest impact will be along the Front Range of the Rockies and the adjacent High Plains, where blizzard conditions are expected through Tuesday.

Current Radar

(MORE: The Science Behind Naming Winter Storms)
Blizzard warnings have been issued by the National Weather Service for portions of eastern Colorado, northwestern Kansas and far southwestern Nebraska for into Tuesday.
The Denver metro area and most of the I-25 corridor in northern Colorado is under a blizzard warning into early Tuesday afternoon. A mix of rain and snow was reported Monday afternoon in the Denver area but most locations changed over to snow early Monday night. Winds have increased across the region as well.

Winter Weather Alerts

The poor visibility from the snow combined with wind gusts of 40-60 mph will create dangerous travel conditions and may prompt roads to close for a time in the High Plains. Avoid all travel in this area through Tuesday. This includes parts of I-25, I-70, I-76 and I-80 in Colorado, southern Wyoming, western Nebraska and northwest Kansas.
Sunday into Sunday night, Ajax brought snow from the Washington Cascades to California's Sierra Nevada and even the mountains of Southern California. A recap of snow totals so far is at the bottom of this article.
The warm side of Ajax will produce severe thunderstorms, including possible tornadoes, in parts of the South through early this week.
(MORE: Severe Weather Outbreak Expected)

Snow Forecast Details

Snowfall Forecast

As our forecast graphic shows, the heaviest snow amounts from Ajax will be in the Rockies where over a foot of snow is possible in some locales. The Palmer Divide south of Denver could see snowfall totals over a foot as well.

Colorado Snowfall Forecast

Snowfall totals of 6-12 inches are forecast in the Highs Plains of eastern Colorado, western Nebraska and northwest Kansas. Parts of the Denver metro area may see 6-12 inches of total snowfall, with the highest amounts in the southeast suburbs and the least amounts in the northwest suburbs.

Snow Timing

Into Early Tuesday Morning
Snow will push east overnight into eastern Colorado, northern New Mexico, western Nebraska, southwest South Dakota and northwestern Kansas. Heavy snow is possible in the mountains of Colorado and High Plains of southern and central Colorado. Winds will increase with gusts over 40 mph possible in the High Plains, leading to poor visibility and dangerous travel conditions. This includes parts of I-80, I-70, I-76 and I-25.
(FORECAST: Denver | Colorado Springs)

Tuesday's Forecast

Tuesday
Snow, possibly heavy, persists in parts of eastern Colorado, western Kansas, western Nebraska, southeastern Wyoming and far northeastern New Mexico. Some light mixed precipitation may impact the panhandles of Oklahoma and Texas.
Strong north to northwest winds may continue to produce areas of blowing snow, reduced visibility and perhaps blizzard conditions in some parts of the High Plains much of Tuesday. Dangerous travel conditions are likely in the region, including on portions of I-70 and I-80.
Snow finally winds down across the High Plains on Tuesday night.
(FORECAST: North Platte, Nebraska | Pueblo, Colorado)
This strong low pressure system will also bring the threat of flooding from the Gulf Coast to the mid-Mississippi Valley and severe thunderstorms in the South, especially toward Texas and the Gulf Coast states.
(MORE: Potential Severe Weather Outbreak | Major Flash Flood Threat)
This winter storm event is still evolving so check back for updates and for the latest forecast.

Ajax Snowfall Reports So Far

As of Monday evening here are some snowfall reports from Ajax so far. The map below shows the estimated snowfall totals from Ajax in the areas that have been affected so far.
California: Kingvale (10 inches); Mammoth Mountain Ski Area (8-12 inches); Kirkwood Ski Resort (14 inches); Squaw Valley Ski Resort (11 inches)
Nevada: Near McGill, Nevada (15 inches), Jiggs (12 inches)
Arizona: North-northwest of Flagstaff (11 inches)
Utah: Mount Pleasant (10 inches); Fairview (10 inches)
Colorado: Near Wolf Creek Pass (14 inches); El Diente Peak (17 inches); Telluride (12 inches)

Snowfall Totals So Far

The name Ajax is from Greek mythology. Ajax was a hero in Homer’s epic, Iliad, and was known for his strength and courage.
MORE: Western Snow Nov. 10-11, 2015 (PHOTOS)