Wintry Weather Threatens Rockies, Plains | WeatherBug
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Wintry Weather Threatens Rockies, Plains

May 7, 2017
UPDATED By WeatherBug Meteorologists, Alexa Maines and James West
Although the West Coast will finally get much-needed relief from rain and snow over the next several days, heavy snow will drift into the Mountain West, Rockies, north-central Plains and eventually the Midwest.
 
A developing low pressure system will move across the Rockies today and bring mountain snows to ski country in Colorado. Using the energy from the Rockies system, a new winter storm will develop east of the Rockies. Moving east across the central Plains, this system will bring pockets of heavy snow from the Front Range to the Midwest.
 
Before this happens, heavy snow will fall across the Mountain West, with the higher elevations of the Wasatch Back in Utah seeing up to an additional 6 inches of snow and the central and southern Rockies receiving up to a foot of snow. Elevations above 6,000 feet in northern Arizona could see storm snowfall totals of 15 inches or more, but locations at 4,500 feet in elevation could see up to a foot of snow. Since Thursday, Flagstaff, Ariz., has received 23 inches of snow, while June Lake, Calif., has seen 60 inches. Further east, Wolf Creek, Colo. has seen 29 inches of snow. 
 
Winter Storm Warnings and Winter Weather Advisories are in effect until this afternoon across the central Rockies and the mountains of the Southwest. Cities among these warnings include Flagstaff and Prescott, Ariz., Chama and Taos, N.M., Riverton and Casper, Wyo., and Durango and Aspen, Colo.
 
As the low pressure system develops and deepens across the western and eventually the central Plains and Midwest, wintry weather will develop by early this morning and last through Wednesday. Southern South Dakota and northern Nebraska will see up to a foot of snow and ice, while southern Minnesota, northern Iowa and west-central Wisconsin could see up to 8 inches of snow just in time for the Wednesday morning commute.
 
Winter Storm Watches and Warnings along with Winter Weather Advisories are in effect for eastern Wyoming to Lake Superior, including Lusk, Wyo., Sioux Falls, S.D., Valentine, Neb., Marshall and Rochester, Minn., Mason City and Fort Dodge, Iowa, and La Crosse, Madison and Green Bay, Wis. Heavy snow producing snowfall totals of 6 to 10 inches are expected, along with wind gusts up to 35 mph will quickly cover roads with snow, so exercise an abundance of caution through Wednesday afternoon.