Winter Storm to Bring Snow to the West, First Accumulating Snow to Parts of the Northern Plains, Upper Midwest Next Week

Brian Donegan
Published: November 11,2016
A winter storm will deliver a sharp November reality check in the West, northern Plains, and Upper Midwest next week, with wind-driven snow, the first of the season in some areas.
(MORE: Winter Storm Central)
A southward plunge of the jet stream will surge into the West around the middle of next week, then sweep east into the Plains states.

Forecast Jet Stream

Ahead of that feature, an area of low pressure will form at the surface over the northern High Plains, then intensify as it tracks into the northern Plains and Upper Midwest late next week.
Cold air will be drawn southward out of Canada on the backside of this bullish low-pressure system.
This Canadian air should be sufficiently cold to dump widespread snowfall along its journey in parts of the northern Plains and Upper Midwest, in addition to blanketing the mountain West with some sorely-needed early-season snowfall.
(MORE: Early November Snow Cover Least in a Decade)
High winds may accompany the snow in the northern Plains and Upper Midwest, creating dangerous driving conditions due to poor visibility and snow-covered roadways.
(MORE: Weather-Related Car Accidents Far More Deadly Than Tornadoes, Hurricanes, Floods)

Possible surface setup for the first accumulating snow in parts of the northern Plains and Upper Midwest, along with strong winds late next week.

We are most certain of significant snow accumulations in the Cascades, Siskiyous, Sierra, Wasatch, Tetons, Bitterroots among other West mountain ranges. Accumulations in excess of 6 inches are most likely in these areas.
However, still over five days away, it's not possible to get too specific on placement and snowfall amounts in lower elevations yet.
(MORE: 10 Facts About Snow That Might Surprise You)
Some places that may see snow late next week and haven't seen any accumulating snow yet this year include Fargo, North Dakota, Aberdeen, South Dakota, Duluth, Minnesota and Marquette, Michigan.
(MORE: When the First Snow of the Season Typically Falls)
In addition, behind the storm, there could be a multi-day period of lake-effect/lake-enhanced snow in at least some of the Great Lakes snowbelts lasting through next weekend, the first real such event this season.
This will certainly be a big change after October and early November's record warmth across the Rockies, Plains and upper Midwest.
Be sure to check back with weather.com for updates over the next several days as we iron out the details on next week's possible winter storm.
(MORE: Winter Storm Names for 2016-17)

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