Storm to Lash Central US With Flooding, Snow and Severe Weather

By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist

December 9,2015; 7:24PM,EST

 

 

One of the storms from the western United States will produce a swath of drenching rain, snow and severe weather over the Plains, Mississippi Valley and Great Lakes this weekend.

The Barrage of Storms Continue for West Coast

While the central United States will remain in the midst of tranquil weather into the second week of December, a major storm will take shape during the second weekend of the month.
According to AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Elliot Abrams, this will be a dynamic storm as it swings from the West into the Central states.

"In addition to bringing locally heavy precipitation, the storm will bring a good deal of wind, which will be quite a switch from the tranquil, stagnant and foggy conditions over the past week or so," Abrams said.
While the exact details on which areas will be hit the hardest with rain versus severe thunderstorms and snow will unfold in the coming days, the storm will bring general travel disruptions to the Central states this weekend.
Following the storm impacts in the Central states, big temperature swings are in store for the region.
Northwest Flank of Storm to Bring Snow
As the storm traverses the Rockies, locally heavy snow will fall on portions of Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico spanning Friday night to Saturday night.
Denver could receive a few inches of snow and travel disruptions from the storm on Saturday into Saturday night.

During Sunday into Sunday night, a stripe of snow is likely to stretch from western Nebraska to parts of eastern South Dakota, northern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
While this does not look like a major snowstorm for much of this area, enough snow could fall to make for slippery travel in some communities.
Temperatures will be far enough above freezing to prevent any accumulating snow in Minneapolis on Sunday. Snow may mix with rain on Sunday night.
The area of accumulating snow could shift farther to the southeast or northwest across the region, depending on the track of the storm as it emerges from the southern Rockies as well as the availability of colder air.
Enough Rain May Fall to Renew Flooding
Another 1-3 inches of rain will fall with locally higher amounts from portions of Texas and Louisiana to Iowa and Illinois spanning Saturday and Sunday. Much of this area had two to three times their average rainfall during November.

Soil conditions remain wet and streams levels remain high in much of this area. As a result, the risk of flooding will extend beyond flash and urban concerns to small streams and unprotected areas along some of the rivers.
The greatest potential for flooding will be from the lower part of southern Plains to the middle and lower Mississippi Valley. This includes portions of the Red River basin.
RELATED:
AccuWeather Winter Weather Center
Southwest US Interactive Radar
Late-Week Storm to Drop Feet of Snow in California's Sierra Nevada
The combination of drenching rain and poor visibility could slow travel in the major metro areas of St. Louis, Chicago, Detroit and Kansas City, Missouri.
Storm to Bring Severe Weather Potential
The combination of warm, moist air and strong winds aloft could be enough to spark severe thunderstorms this weekend.
While the intensity of the storms will be partially contingent on the amount of warming that takes place both days of the weekend, the risk of severe weather will extend through the nighttime hours.
Severe thunderstorms could roll through Oklahoma City; Shreveport, Louisiana; Little Rock, Arkansas; Memphis, Tennessee; Dallas and Houston.
During Saturday afternoon and evening, the greatest risk for a few isolated tornadoes and damaging wind gusts will extend across the central and eastern portions of Texas and Oklahoma.

The risk of thunderstorms with damaging wind gusts will push eastward from parts of northeastern Texas to Louisiana, Arkansas and Missouri on Sunday.
During Sunday night into early Monday, the severe weather risk, including the potential for a few tornadoes, will extend from Mississippi to parts of Alabama and western and middle areas of Tennessee and Kentucky.
Abrams stated that gales would buffet the Great Lakes region with building waves and the potential for lake shore flooding during Sunday into Monday.