Possible Weekend Blizzard for Northern Plains, Rockies

By Courtney Spamer, Meteorologist

November 7,2012; 1:14PM,EST

Late in the week, the wet weather will move into the northern Plains with a snowstorm that could strengthen into a blizzard.
A low pressure, off the coast of Washington on Wednesday, will track from the eastern Rockies to Ontario on Saturday and Sunday blanketing the northern Plains with snow.
While snow is likely to reach as far west as the Sierra Nevada in California, the heaviest snow will be on the northwest side of the low pressure. This puts the heaviest snow in eastern Montana, North Dakota and the provinces of Manitoba and Ontario in southern Canada.
The storm could be capable of 8 inches of snow with strong north winds up to 30 mph. Strong surface winds also expected with this storm which will rotate counterclockwise around the center.
These factors could create the perfect recipe for a blizzard.
Combining these gusty winds with the expected heavy snowfall in the northern Plains on Saturday will create blowing and wind-whipped snow. These conditions will bring down visibilities, making traveling hazardous.
Cities possibly having these blizzard conditions include Sheridan, Wyo., Glasgow, Mont., Dickinson, N.D., Bismarck, N.D., and Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

The adjustment of the jet stream and the upper air winds that guide the track for weather systems is the large scale factor creating this storm.
Late on Thursday, the jet stream will take a large dip in the western half of the country. Simultaneously, a low pressure will creep up on the Washington Pacific coast.
Scooped up by the jet stream as cool air expands into the Southwest, the low will be thrust into the Rockies before being pushed into Wyoming on Friday.
With the cold Canadian air following behind this energized storm, we will have the makings of a storm the AccuWeather.com meteorologists believe could produce inches of snow this weekend.
With this shift in the jet stream, other changes will be felt around the country. A second wave of energy from the storm could create a line of thunderstorms in the southern Plains from Iowa to Texas on Saturday, some of which have the potential to be severe.
Furthermore, warmth will rush into the eastern half of the country. High pressure and warm air will be able to fill up the East to create a nice weekend from Philadelphia to Nashville.