Blizzard Watches Posted as Snowy Storm System Digs Into Mountain West and Heads Toward High Plains

Quincy Vagell
Published: November 9,2015

Blizzard watches have been posted for parts of the High Plains as a storm system, already bringing snow to the Sierra Nevada and other mountain ranges of the West, begins to barrel eastward.
The system, currently dominated by a sharp southward dip in the jet stream aloft, will spawn a very strong low-pressure system at ground level east of the Colorado Rockies late Tuesday, creating the potential for blizzard conditions in parts of Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska even as it triggers severe thunderstorms farther east across parts of the eastern Plains and Midwest.
(MORE: Severe Weather Outbreak Possible on Wednesday)

Setup for Western Snow

That southward dip in the jet stream is setting the stage for cold air to filter south into the West.

Latest Radar

Winter Watches and Warnings

Moisture is somewhat limited with this system, so prolific snowfall amounts are not expected. Still, the higher elevations from California's Sierra Nevada eastward into the Rockies may wind up with 6 to 12 inches of new snowfall from this storm, with locally higher amounts possible.
Just under a foot of snow had fallen by mid-morning Monday near Kirkwood, California, at an elevation of 6,700 feet in the Sierra Nevada.
Snow will not be confined to just the mountains. Lower elevation locations in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming will also see snow or rain changing to snow. Winter storm watches, winter weather advisories and winter storm warnings have been posted for a number of areas in the higher elevations of the West.
Some of this snow will also make it into the Front Range of eastern Colorado, eastern Wyoming and the adjacent High Plains of western Nebraska and northwest Kansas. Strong winds could combine with the snow to produce low visibility and dangerous travel conditions. It's not out of the question that we could see blizzard conditions in the High Plains Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.
As a result, blizzard watches have been issued for portions of northeastern Colorado, northwestern Kansas and southwestern Nebraska.
By midweek, most of the moisture will have been wrung out across the High Plains as low pressure develops over the central Plains. It is by this point that the focus shifts to the eastern Plains and Midwest for heavy rain and thunderstorms, as low pressure develops and ejects toward the Great Lakes.
Here is a look at the forecast through Wednesday.

Into Early Tuesday: Snow in the Sierra Nevada, Spreading East Into the Rockies

As the cold front reaches the Intermountain West, locally heavy snow is likely across the Sierra Nevada. Cold air may also support some heavy, wet snow over the Columbia Plateau of Oregon.
Chilly rain is expected across the lower elevations of central and northern California.
Farther east, snow begins to accumulate across the Northern Rockies, as snow or rain changing to snow moves across much of Idaho and Montana.
Snow is also in the cards across the central Great Basin, including much of Nevada, and will spread east into Utah and western Wyoming. Salt Lake City could see a mixture of rain and snow into early Tuesday.
(Cities: Boise | Elko | San Francisco)

Tuesday-Tuesday Night: Snow Spreads Across Rockies and into the High Plains

Tuesday's Forecast

Precipitation from this storm system will come to an end across the West Coast, but moisture will spread across the northern Rockies and Four Corners region.
Some of the heaviest snow will target Utah, Idaho, Montana and the central Rockies of western Colorado. Snow may also extend south into the higher terrain of Arizona, where Flagstaff is in line for some fresh powder.
(Cities: Butte | Flagstaff | Salt Lake City)
Cold air will make its presence felt with widespread high temperatures in the 30s and 40s from the Intermountain West to the Front Range.
By Tuesday night, a mixture of rain and snow will move into parts of eastern Colorado, eastern Wyoming, western Nebraska and southwest South Dakota. The Denver metropolitan area could see some light accumulations of snow during the overnight hours of Tuesday into early Wednesday.
Strong winds will also develop, leading to low visibility and dangerous travel conditions in the High Plains. Blizzard or near-blizzard conditions may develop in some areas for a period of time Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, including along parts of Interstates 70, 80 and 76.
A separate disturbance will crash into the Pacific Northwest late Tuesday night, spreading snow into the Cascades and Olympics in Washington state. While not part of the larger storm system swinging through the West and toward the Plains, it could bring accumulating snow to the major Cascade passes in Washington Wednesday before fizzling over the northern Rockies Wednesday night.

Wednesday: Near-Blizzard Conditions May Persist in High Plains

Wednesday's Forecast

As a dip in the jet stream pivots east, low pressure ejects across the central Plains and into the Missouri Valley.
Snow lingers across parts of eastern Colorado and the High Plains of western Nebraska and northwest Kansas. Strong winds will also continue, leading to blowing snow and poor visibility. Blizzard or near-blizzard conditions may persist for a time Wednesday in the above mentioned areas.
Whatever is left of the snow is expected to wind down during the morning over the central to northern High Plains.
As low pressure intensifies, warmer air will drive north into the Missouri Valley, meaning the east-central Plains and Upper Midwest will be warm enough for mainly rain.
Thunderstorm activity, some of which may be severe, is also in the forecast for parts of that area.
(Cities: Denver | North Platte | Omaha)

Snowfall Forecast Through Wednesday

Snow, Much-Needed for California, Rest of West

Much of the West Coast has been plagued with persistent drought conditions with California feeling the brunt of the lack of precipitation.
Snowpack is critical to water replenishment in the West, but snow-water levels have been on the decline over the past few years. With less snow to melt and feed downstream, reservoir levels have been steadily on the decline, particularly over central California.
(MORE: Snow Helpful to Ease Drought Concerns)
Storm systems that bring mountain snow and valley rain to the West, but not too much at once, are a great way to slowly but surely chip away at the drought.
Such a storm kicked off the month this past week and the upcoming storm is looking quite similar. With precipitation not expected to be overly heavy, flooding concerns are relatively low.
However, burn scars from recent fires in central and northern California are an exception. The National Weather Service has issued flash flood watches through Monday evening for several of those burn scars, including those from the destructive Rocky Fire and Butte Fire earlier this year.
Still, should the trend continue with these types of systems through the coming weeks and months, further drought improvement may be on the horizon for an area that desperately needs it.
MORE: Skiing Stress Relief