Severe Weather Seen Over Plains, Ohio Valleys With Storm, Mountain Snow Spreading

Weather experts said that floods, hail and tornadoes are expected in the central and southern portion of the United States.

So far, meteorologists are tracking a storm that is situated thousands of miles from the Pacific Coast of the US, which can potentially bring the next significant round of severe weather to some areas in the Plains and the Mississippi, Tennessee and Ohio valleys next week.

Severe Weather

The storm is expected to spread areas of low-elevation and mountain snow into the West Coast states this weekend.

Further, the storm will also reorganize as it then pushes inland over the southern Rockies and then onto the southern Plains early next week.

Weather forecasters said that the combination of an active jet stream as well as an injection of warm and humid air from the Gulf of Mexico would energize the storm system and result in an eruption of showers and thunderstorms in the area.

The National Weather Service said that a separate winter storm is anticipated to produce a swath of snow between the northern Plains and Great Lakes by the end of the week, with snow beginning today across areas situated in the northern High Plains.

A wave of low pressure developing over a lingering stationary front will help trigger the developing precipitation shield and shift snowfall eastward on Thursday night.

Further, high probabilities for at least four inches of snow exist across northwest Montana, with medium to high probabilities (40-80%) extending from north-central Montana to central Minnesota, including southern South Dakota.

So far, greater chances for moderate to heavy snow shifts are expected to the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes by Friday, where there is the potential for up to 10-12 inches of snow.

Unsettled Weather

Residents should remain weather aware and up to date with the latest forecast as uncertainty remains regarding the exact location of the heavy snow bands.

Elsewhere, unsettled weather is set to return to the southern Plains, Gulf Coast, and parts of the West Coast.

An upper low lingering over the Southwest is expected to finally eject into the southern Plains tonight and spark showers and thunderstorm over portions of Oklahoma and Texas.

By Thursday, rain could become heavy enough along the western Gulf Coast and southeast Texas to produce isolated flooding concerns.

This system is forecasted to progress eastward into the Gulf of Mexico on Friday, which will spread showers and thunderstorms along the entire Gulf Coast, as well as eventually Florida and the Southeast by late Friday.

However, both the severe and flooding threat associated with this system remain marginal.

For the West Coast, light to moderate rain is expected to move inland across northern California and the coastal Midwest on Friday.

As the axis of precipitation along a frontal boundary intersects the Sierra on Friday night, heavy snow is possible throughout the mountainous terrain.