Accumulating Snowfall Heading into the Weekend Could Slow Down Holiday Travel

 

 Anyone with travel plans heading into the weekend needs to pay close attention to the forecast, especially if your travel plans take you north or northwest.

A very strong storm system will develop east of the Rockies late Wednesday night and Thursday.  Ahead of the low there will be a push of warm and moist air into the Plains and Midwest that won't be enough to overcome the cold air already in place.  This will most likely lead to accumulating snowfall from northern Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin Thursday into Friday.  Further south, temperatures at the surface will be creeping closer to 32 degrees.  As moisture is pulled northward early Thursday, there could be a brief period of freezing rain before a transition over to either light rain or a rain/snow mix Thursday afternoon and evening.

The track of the incoming low late Thursday night and Friday will be key in determining what our dominant precipitation type will be during this time.  And that track will be partially determined by just how far east or west a developing ridge of high pressure will be over the west coast.  Right now it looks like the low will move from near Kansas, into northern Missouri or southern Iowa by early Friday morning.  There will be a pull of warm air ahead of the low, but if the track remains to our south then the warm air will fall short of the Stateline.  A track that takes the low right over the Stateline will increase the potential for a rain/snow mix, and then a transition to a period of snow by Friday evening.


Right now it looks like a light mix of precipitation is likely for Thursday into early Friday, with a transition over to light rain Friday afternoon and then a transition back over to either a mix or light snow late Friday.  Most of the precipitation should be done by Saturday morning.


Travel over the Midwest Wednesday night through Friday could become very rough for places like Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin as accumulating snow will occur late Wednesday and throughout the day on Thursday.


Following the passage of the low Friday will come a significant shot of cold air.  Temperatures will quickly fall Saturday and Sunday into the low 20's, but highs on Christmas Day may not even make it out of the teens.  Especially if accumulating snow falls over the Midwest.