Portions of the Northern Rockies and Northern Plains are expected to receive their first major snow of the season next week.
Forecast models indicate the ingredients may be coming together next week for heavy snow to fall from the Rockies to the Plains, according to the FOX Forecast Center.
But first, an initial storm system will affect the region this weekend from late Saturday to Sunday, bringing rain and high-elevation snow to the Northwest and Northern Rockies through Monday.
“We have this appetizer setting the stage this weekend,” FOX Weather meteorologist Jane Minar said. “A bigger storm arrives as we go into the middle of next week.”
WHEN CAN YOU EXPECT THE FIRST SNOW OF THE SEASON?
By midweek, a more potent storm is forecast to dive south out of Alberta, Canada. That storm may drag down some of the coldest air the region has felt so far this season. With ample moisture in place, the colder temperatures will mean increasing chances for widespread snow, even at lower elevations.
At this point, the FOX Forecast Center said it’s too early to determine exactly where and how much snow will fall, but more than a foot of measurable snow appears likely at higher elevations of Montana and Big Sky Country. This is quite a contrast from earlier this week when the region was experiencing record-high temperatures in the upper 70s and low 80s.
Some of the higher snow totals may even make their way down to lower elevations, impacting road travel in the region.
HOW COLD DOES IT HAVE TO BE TO SNOW?
“We’ve got a big snow potential out of this one,” Minar said. “This low-pressure system, as it does come in, is going to track its way across the Intermountain West. We also have a Colorado low that’s going to be tracking out ahead of it. This kind of brings in a lot of colder air, even down into the Colorado Rockies.”
There are indications that this storm will then roll east and northeast, spreading snow over the Dakotas, too. This could lead to significant impacts on east-west interstates through late week.