DENVER – The FOX Forecast Center is tracking a winter storm that will bring heavy snow to parts of the central and northern Plains and Upper Midwest on Wednesday, and the strength of the storm could allow for intense snowfall rates, creating to dangerous travel conditions.
Winter Storm Warnings extend from the Denver metro area and northeastern Colorado into Nebraska in advance of the storm, which could drop up to a foot of snow in Denver and a foot-and-a-half along Interstate 80 in Nebraska.
“A lot of that is going to be during the day (Wednesday),” FOX Weather meteorologist Britta Merwin said. “So, travel (Wednesday) is going to be tough across parts of the central Plains.”
Snow is expected to start to fall across the Denver metro area by Tuesday night, so people living along the Interstate 25 corridor from Denver through Colorado Springs and into Pueblo should make preparations for difficult travel conditions.
“By the time we wake up (Wednesday) morning, many of you will have over 8 inches of snow,” Merwin said.
You may be thinking that Denver is used to so much snow falling during a winter storm in January, but it’s actually been quite a while.
The most recent January storm that dropped more than a foot of snow was back in 1992 when they received 14.8 inches of snow. In fact, FOX Weather senior data specialist Shane Brown said there have actually been only four instances of Denver getting a foot or more of snow from a single January storm on record since 1874.
On average, Brown said, January is only the 6th snowiest month of the year for Denver, so a foot of snow from this next storm would be rare.
As we head into Wednesday, the focus of the heaviest snow will be in the central Plains, in places such as Nebraska and Iowa.
“We’re expecting a substantial amount of snow, more than what we’ve seen this season so far,” Merwin said.
Winds will also be an issue and could lead to blowing and drifting snow.
“That is going to cause some visibility issues for the state of Colorado, especially northeast Colorado, as you’re driving from Denver up towards Wolfsburg and really hooking into Nebraska,” Merwin said. “That stretch of I-80 and I-76 – it’s going to be rough all the way through from Tuesday night through all day Wednesday. You really want to take a lot of extra caution before you head out onto the roads in the central Plains.”
TRAVELING THIS WINTER? HERE’S WHAT TO KEEP IN YOUR CAR IN CASE YOU GET STUCK
Regarding snow totals, up to a foot of snow can be expected from northeastern Colorado into central Nebraska. However, intense snow bands are likely to set up along I-80 in the central part of the state, and that’s where the FOX Forecast Center expects up to a foot-and-a-half of snow, with some locally higher amounts of up to two feet.
DRIVING ON THE ICE AND DRIVING ON THE SNOW: WEATHER DRIVING TIPS FOR DRIVING IN INCLEMENT WEATHER
The storm and snow will eventually make their way into the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes region by Thursday.
“Of course, those are the places that are used to snow, but with that being said, it’s a good batch of snow that we’re expecting Wednesday night into Thursday morning,” Merwin said.
Merwin said that will have a big impact on the Thursday morning commute in places like Green Bay, Wisconsin, and also moving into northern parts of Michigan.
“If you live in Chicago, in Detroit, it’s going to be too mild,” Merwin said. “We’re looking at a rain story for you.”
HERE’S WHY THE U.S. HAS THE LOWEST SNOW COVER IN OVER A DECADE
By Thursday, this storm system is expected to bring rain to many areas of the Northeast and mid-Atlantic. However, with cold air in place across parts of New England and the higher terrain of upstate New York, there could be accumulating snow or a wintry mix changing to snow in those areas from Thursday into Friday.
The FOX Forecast Center said the current computer models suggest this could be an impactful winter storm from the Adirondacks and Catskills of upstate New York into portions of central and northern New England. However, confidence is still low on exactly how impactful it might be.
Regardless, the Interstate 95 corridor, which has been mostly snowless so far this winter, will likely see all rain from this storm system.
By late Friday, the storm will finally exit off the East Coast.