Powerful weekend storm will bring heavy snow to Rockies and severe weather to the South

Story Highlights

• The storm is forecast to dump several feet of snow on portions of Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska.
• Saturday looks to be the day with the highest chance of severe weather, with northern Texas and western Oklahoma at greatest risk.
• These weather extremes are typical of strong March storms as winter and spring battle it out.

A powerful storm will bring a mix of volatile weather to the nation’s midsection over the weekend, including heavy snow to the Rockies and severe weather and flooding rain to the south-central U.S.

These weather extremes are typical of strong March storms as winter and spring battle it out, according to AccuWeather.

“The stage is set for a significant winter storm to impact the central Rockies and the central High Plains,” the Weather Prediction Center said Friday.

The storm is forecast to dump several feet of snow on portions of Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska, with some spots picking up as much as 3 feet. Denver is forecast to pick up 1 to 2 feet, possibly rivaling some of the city’s biggest snowstorms on record, AccuWeather said.

Cheyenne, Wyoming, could see an historic snowstorm, potentially the city’s biggest ever recorded. 

“Very difficult to impossible travel conditions expected across all of southeast Wyoming and the Nebraska panhandle,” the National Weather Service office in Cheyenne, Wyoming, said. “Expect extended periods of whiteout conditions, low visibilities and possible power outages.”

“Make all the necessary preparations to protect life, property, livestock and pets,” the weather service said. 

Strong winds combined with snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour could produce near-blizzard conditions, according to the weather service.

‘Blockbuster blizzard’: Forecast to hammer Denver area with feet of snow this weekend

Severe storms, floods possible in south-central US

The same storm is also forecast to produce an outbreak of severe weather across portions of the south-central U.S. from Friday through Sunday. 

While a few severe storms are possible Friday, Saturday looks to be the day with the highest chance of severe weather, with northern Texas and western Oklahoma at greatest risk, the Storm Prediction Center said: “A few tornadoes, including the possibility of a strong tornado, and very large hail will be the primary hazards, with damaging wind gusts possible as well.”

On Sunday, the threat for severe weather is likely to shift eastward, to include eastern Oklahoma and Texas all the way to the Mississippi River, AccuWeather said. While the threat for tornadoes will be lower Sunday, the chances for damaging wind gusts will still be high.

Heavy, flooding rain is also likely over the weekend, with southern portions of Kansas, Missouri and Illinois the states at highest risk, the weather service said. “Storm total rainfall amounts will range from two to four inches with localized higher amounts,” the weather service in Springfield, Missouri, said. 

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