Big Storm to Affect Country

A major winter storm will affect areas from the Rockies through the Plains and Midwest in the week ahead.

An arctic airmass over these regions will interact with Gulf moisture to produce heavy snow and ice in cities like Denver, Amarillo, Dallas, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Wichita, Kansas City, St. Louis, Chicago, Indianapolis and Cincinnati. Winter storm watches were already posted tonight from northeastern Oklahoma, southeastern Kansas, Missouri and into southwestern Illinois.

Dallas is expecting light freezing rain Tuesday afternoon. Oklahoma City should see snow and blowing snow Monday night and Tuesday. It will start as freezing rain in Tulsa Monday night, changing to snow Tuesday. Ice changing to snow is the forecast for Kansas City.

It should be all snow in St. Louis and Chicago. I would think that the Windy City would see significant accumulations.

The heaviest snow will fall from eastern Kansas through Missouri and Illinois eastward in a stripe extending through Pennsylvania and New England.

Look at this projected snow depth chart from the GFS 18z run:

This system will also be a big wind producer, causing 40+ mph wind gusts over the Midwest by Tuesday and Wednesday.

Severe weather could break out from Texas into the Southeast on Tuesday.

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