Rockies, midwestern US to face return of snow late this week
Those getting a head start on holiday travel across the Rockies and Midwest late this week may be faced with disruptive snow along the way.
“Air travel volume will obviously ramp up this week ahead of Christmas, and we anticipate the weather will complicate that later this week,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Mike Doll said.
There is the potential for enough snow to shovel and plow from Wyoming and Colorado to Minnesota, Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan from late Wednesday through Thursday.
Denver; Casper, Wyoming; Aberdeen, South Dakota; and Minneapolis and Duluth, Minnesota, are among the cities that could receive disruptive late-week snow.
The snow will ride in on a wave of sharply colder air.
In some areas, snow will whiten the ground just a day after temperatures climb into the 50s and 60s F.
“Residents in Denver will go from enjoying highs near 60 F at midweek to turning up the heat and shoveling snow as temperatures plunge into the teens on Wednesday night and only recover into the 20s on Thursday,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski said.
“There could be flight delays and cancellations at Denver International and Minneapolis-St. Paul International airports, and at regional airports in between,” Doll said.
Those with short- and long-term travel plans along stretches of interstates 25, 29, 35, 70, 80, 90 and 94 may need to allot extra time to reach their destination due to slick roads and reduced visibility.
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The snow and temperature may fall at a rapid enough pace for roads to turn slushy and snow covered in a short amount of time.
“Roads could become treacherous Thursday from northern Colorado to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan,” Doll said.
Gusty winds can create blowing and drifting snow across roadways, localized blizzard conditions and dangerously low visibility for motorists.
The exact track of the storm will determine which locations are on the receiving end of the heaviest snow. These details, as well as timing of the snow, will emerge in the coming days.
With additional waves of harsh cold expected to follow the wintry weather, any accumulating snow will likely stick around long enough to give some Midwestern residents a white Christmas.
