Winter Storm Thor Will Bring Snow, Ice From Southwest to the Midwest and East (FORECAST)

Linda Lam
Published: March 1,2015




 

There will be no break in the parade of winter storms in the first week of March as Winter Storm Thor follows Sparta's wintry mess.

Current Radar

Snowfall Forecast

Thor has taken shape in California as a disturbance digs into the Southwest, bringing rain in the lower elevations and snow in the mountains. On Saturday, thunderstorms even accompanied the storm, coating parts of the Bay Area with hail.
(MORE: Warmest Winter On Record)
Into early week, persistent snow will be wrung out over the southern Rockies, including the San Juans and Sangre de Cristos of Colorado and New Mexico, the Mogollon Rim of Arizona and canyonlands of southern Utah. The mountains of southwest Colorado may end up with snow totals of up to 4 feet by the time the storm is finished there on Tuesday.
After impacting the West, snow and ice will then spread eastward across the Plains, Midwest and East through midweek.
The daily forecast details from coast-to-coast are below.
Sunday
Snow from Winter Storm Thor will persist in the West as seen in the map below. Some much-needed snow will continue in parts of the Sierra into Sunday, with snow in the Wasatch Range and parts of the central and southern Rockies.
(MORE: Record Low Sierra Snowpack)
Rain may be locally heavy in parts of the Southwest and there is a flood watch posted for portions of Arizona into Monday afternoon, including the Phoenix area.

Sunday's Forecast

Monday
The West will continue to see snow in the mountains, with rain in the lower elevations. However, even some higher elevations will see a mix of rain and snow as shown in the forecast map below.
(FORECASTS: South Lake Tahoe | Salt Lake City | Flagstaff | Aspen)
The highest snowfall accumulations will likely be in the mountains of western and southern Colorado, as well as in northern Arizona.
To the north, an arctic front will move into Montana and Idaho bringing snow and some gusty winds.
Locally heavy rain persists in southern Arizona.

Monday's Forecast

Tuesday
Winter Storm Thor will interact with energy from the northern branch of the jet stream as it begins to move out of the Four Corners region producing a widespread swath of snow and ice.
(FORECASTS: Minneapolis | Chicago | Pittsburgh | Washington, DC)
Thor is expected to be warmer than the weekend one, but cold conditions will be in place in the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes, where the greatest chance for moderate snowfall accumulations will be found.
Cold air will likely linger in parts of the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic allowing the precipitation to start as freezing rain, sleet or a mix of rain and snow as shown in the map below.
Rain and thunderstorms will be found south of the snow and ice from the Southern Plains to the Southeast.

Tuesday's Forecast

Wednesday - Thursday

Wednesday's Forecast

Wednesday Night Forecast

Moisture will continue to be present even after the cold front passes through parts of the South, Midwest and East Wednesday into early Thursday. This could result in a change from rain to snow or ice in some locations during this time period.
As our forecast maps for Wednesday and Wednesday night show, this change to snow or ice could occur in a swath from the Mid-Atlantic westward to the Ohio Valley, Tennessee Valley, lower-Mississippi Valley and the Southern Plains.
(FORECASTS: Washington, D.C. | Nashville, Tennessee | Little Rock, Arkansas | Dallas, Texas)
Thursday, this band of mixed precipitation may extend from the coastal Mid-Atlantic to parts of the Carolinas, northern Georgia and northern Alabama.
(FORECASTS: Atlanta | Birmingham, Alabama | Raleigh, North Carolina | Richmond, Virginia)
Accumulations are possible across all of these areas Wednesday into Thursday, however uncertainty remains this far in advance.
The forecast will continue to be updated over the next few days so check back with us at weather.com and The Weather Channel.
(MAPS: Weekly Planner)

Recap So Far: Winter Storm Thor

Here are some select snow totals from Winter Storm Thor as of Sunday morning:
California:
- 32 inches snow at Squaw Valley
- 24 inches snow at Sugar Bowl Ski Resort
- 13 inches snow at Donner Peak
Nevada:
- 24 inches snow at Diamond Peak Ski Resort
- 16 inches snow at Mount Rose Ski Area

Arizona:

- 12 inches snow near Parks
- 4-8 inches snow in the Flagstaff area
New Mexico:
- 9.6 inches snow in Albuquerque (partially snow from Winter Storm Sparta)
- 21 inches snow at Taos Ski Area (partially snow from Winter Storm Sparta)

Colorado:
- 32 inches snow near Wolf Creek Pass (partially snow from Winter Storm Sparta)
- 11 inches snow at Red Mountain Pass
- 11 inches snow at Molas Pass
Utah:
- 4 inches snow in Blanding
MORE: Winter Storm Sparta (Photos)