Potent storm to slow travel in western US at midweek

By Jordan Root, Meteorologist

September 19,2016; 8:49PM,EDT

 

 

A potent storm will bring soaking rain and October-like air into portions of the western United States from Wednesday to Thursday.
"A chilly storm system will drop into the northwestern United States during the middle of the week and slowly push across the West before emerging onto the Plains Friday," Pydynowski said.
This will bring an unsettled second half of the week for a large section of the interior West.

Locally drenching showers and thunderstorms are expected to soak the Rockies from Montana to Utah and western Colorado late Wednesday and continue into Friday.
"The steadiest rain could partially be fueled by moisture from Paine," Pydynowski said.
Some of the storms can bring heavy rainfall in a short amount of time.
The combination of the heavy rain and runoff can lead to a quick increase for water levels on local streams and rivers.
The rain and storms could slow travel both on the road and in the air.
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As the storm strengthens over the Rockies, gusty winds will whip across the region.
Afternoons could become quite gusty and some areas across the Southwest may experience blowing dust for a time that could hinder visibility and cause slow travel.
Any thunderstorms could also bring damaging winds which could result in smaller trees being brought down.
Temperatures will also take a hit towards the end of the week as this system pulls in cooler, fall-like air.
"Thursday could be just a raw day across a part of the northern Rockies where the rain pours down and temperatures are held 10 to 20 degrees below normal," Pydynowski said.
Highs in the 70s and 80s F to start the workweek will be replaced with highs in the 50s and 60s in places such as Billings, Montana; Steamboat Springs, Colorado; Boise, Idaho; Flagstaff, Arizona; and Salt Lake City, Utah, to end the week.
Temperatures will likely drop enough for snow to fall as low as 8,000 feet in the northern Rockies.
By Friday, the threat for heavy rain is expected to expand into the High Plains. The storm system could potentially ignite severe storms across the Central Plains.
Story content contributed by AccuWeather Meteorologist Renee Duff.