Early Week Snowstorm Emerges in Rockies, Sweeps Through Plains

By Courtney Spamer, Meteorologist

December 13,2015; 9:55PM,EST

 

 

A snowstorm will bring a winter-like scene across the Rockies and Upper Midwest from Monday through Wednesday.
As moisture becomes immersed in the cold air, with temperatures well below normal for the third week in December, rain will turn to snow across parts of Utah, Wyoming and Colorado Sunday night and Monday.

"Colorado and the Central Rockies are getting a one-two punch of back to back snowstorms," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Becky Elliott. "Round two of snowy weather moves in Monday, with mountains seeing the first accumulating snow."
East of the mountains, including the city of Denver, snow moves in by Monday evening, and dwindles to flurries by late in the day Tuesday.
Through early Tuesday, the corridor of heaviest snow is likely from Wyoming into northern Montana, especially in the higher elevations. In this area, snowfall could accumulate as quickly as two inches per hour.
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The cold air diving down into the Southwest will even allow for some snow to reach Flagstaff, Arizona and parts of northern New Mexico.
It's not until early Tuesday that the storm emerges into the Dakotas and Nebraska, but snow will become steadier throughout the day.
"Much like previous storms this season, this storm will intensify as it moves east," Elliott added. "The Front Range and along the I-25 corridor will only pick up a few inches, while the heaviest snow will fall across the Plains."
On Tuesday, the storm continues to shift eastward with steadier snow reaching the Upper Midwest by Wednesday. With all the cold air present, more snow is expected than with the storm from the previous weekend.

The heaviest-hit areas of the entire storm are likely to be from South Dakota into central Minnesota into Wednesday night.
On the back side of the storm, gusty winds will follow the steadiest snow. Winds could gust as high as 40 mph across South Dakota, Nebraska and Iowa on Wednesday.
As winds gradually subside, chilly air and below-normal temperatures will persist across the Rockies and the northern Plains.