The FOX Forecast Center is tracking a storm that may disrupt holiday travel, potentially affecting millions of Americans trying to get home for Christmas.
As a pair of storm systems from the Pacific Northwest and California shift east of the Rockies later this week, an area of low pressure is forecast to develop at the surface on Christmas Eve. That system could then blossom into a more potent storm, tapping into tropical moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, the FOX Forecast Center said.
“Rain moves into the panhandle of Texas on Thursday morning, and it’ll start to spread across the Central Plains states,” said FOX Weather Meteorologist Michael Estime. “And as it does so into Thursday evening and Friday, it is going to spell some big-time rain for a lot of folks who could see that area of low pressure.”
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Heavy rain and thunderstorms are then expected in the Central Plains on Christmas Eve through Christmas Day. It’s still too early to determine whether those storms will turn severe, but the FOX Forecast Center is closely monitoring forecast trends.
“Places like Dallas, Oklahoma City, Little Rock and St. Louis are all getting impacted by this system,” Estime said. “It’s going to be imperative that if you plan on traveling late this week and then into early this weekend that you plan ahead for it.”
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The FOX Forecast Center is also keeping a close eye on the cold air that’s expected to arrive on the backside of the low-pressure system. If this air is cold enough, it could result in heavy snow in some parts of the Rockies and Central Plains, just before Christmas.
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“We have not only the rain part, but we also have the snow elements to all of this,” Estime adds. “Snow potential at this point looks relatively light, but parts of the Four Corners region are moderate, perhaps even been impacted by some pockets of heavier snow.”
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Forecast models then diverge on what happens next, the FOX Forecast Center said, but there’s a chance that major cities like Minneapolis, Milwaukee and Chicago may get in on some wintry weather on Christmas Day or after.