Snow, chilly air to spread across western US through midweek

By Becky Elliott, AccuWeather.com Meteorologist

March 28,2016; 9:55PM,EDT

 

A winterlike storm plunging into the Pacific Northwest will bring blustery and snowy weather to much of the western United States during the first half of the week.
"After some warmth and pleasant weather for many over the holiday weekend, the pattern will change early this week," AccuWeather Meteorologist Evan Duffey said.

Northwest Short-Range Regional Weather Forecast

This means locations still in the process of digging out from the latest winter storms may have to cope with a fresh round of cold and snow.
Mountain snow and valley rain, with mixed precipitation in between, will spread from the Cascades into the south and central Rockies by Tuesday.

Southern Montana, Wyoming and Utah into the Colorado Rockies will bear the brunt of the snow. Snowfall amounts will range from 6 to 12 inches at the highest elevations.
"The air aloft will cool significantly, which will then translate to the surface. Along with the cooler air will come Pacific moisture," Duffey said. "Mountain snow will be possible for some of the higher elevations, while rain showers will cross the rest of the West."
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The snow boots and winter jackets will be needed through much of the week before temperatures rebound back to more seasonable levels for the start of April.
Parts of Interstate 80 were closed for a time on Monday afternoon at Donner Summit in California due to several vehicle collisions just east of that location, the California Highway Patrol reported. Heavy snowfall was reported throughout the day. The roadway eventually reopened several hours later.
High temperatures will be 10 to 15 degrees lower on Tuesday than they were over the weekend across Great Basin to the Rocky Mountains.
Gusty winds will make it feel even colder with AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures as much as 10 to 20 degrees below the actual air temperature.

Calmer weather is expected to return to the western United States by the end of the week as the system responsible for the cold and snow shifts off to the east.