Snowstorm may unfold from Colorado to Wisconsin early next week

By Renee Duff, AccuWeather meteorologist

December 31,2016, 11:32:00PM,EST

Disruptive snow will expand over the north-central United States from Sunday night into Tuesday.

Some areas that are still digging out from the Christmas Day blizzard may be in the crosshairs of the impending snowstorm during the first days of 2017.
After unleashing frigid air and snow across the West, a storm will emerge over the Rockies and rapidly strengthen.
“The best areas for accumulating snow will be from the Dakotas to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Brett Rathbun said.

The snow could be heavy enough to shovel and plow in these areas.
The exact track of the storm will determine where the heaviest snow sets up. Under the bullseye of heavy snow, snowfall totals will reach 6 to 12 inches.
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The initial coating of snow will cause slippery travel on area roadways. Roads could quickly become snow packed as the snow intensifies.
Travel could become dangerous along parts of interstates 29, 35, 90 and 94 as the snow spreads eastward. Those who are traveling home from New Year’s destinations should use caution.

Increasing winds will threaten to cause areas of blowing and drifting snow and poor visibility in parts of the northern Plains.
Mild air shooting northward ahead of the storm will allow for all rain from Chicago to Detroit on Monday. This includes in St. Louis, where mild and wet conditions could disrupt the 2017 NHL Winter Classic.
“However, the return of colder air may produce a brief period of snow across Chicago and Detroit on Tuesday or Tuesday night,” Rathbun said.
Arctic air will then sweep south and eastward across much of the Lower 48 from the middle to the latter half of the week.