Snow to bury US High Plains Sunday into Monday

By Renee Duff, AccuWeather meteorologist

January 14,2017, 5:10:23AM,EST

 

 The same storm that threatens immobilizing ice over the central United States will unleash snow over the High Plains beginning on Sunday.

A deep layer of cold air will plunge southward on the northwestern side of the storm, allowing mostly snow to fall across eastern Colorado, northwestern Kansas and western and central Nebraska.
Enough snow will fall along this swath to shovel, plow and cause travel disruptions to start the new week.
The snow will ramp up across the Colorado Front Range on Sunday before spreading to the north and east.

Several inches of snow will pile up along the Interstate 25 corridor from Colorado Springs to Denver.
“Before the snow ends Monday evening, cities such as Goodland, Kansas and North Platte, Nebraska, may see well over 6 inches of snow on top of any freezing rain that falls on Sunday,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Kyle Elliott said.
The heaviest snow will likely fall along a swath from eastern Colorado to west-central Nebraska.

“It is not out of the question that up to a foot of snow can fall in areas hit by the most persistent and heaviest snow bands,” Elliott said.
The snow can fall heavily enough to cause roads to quickly become snow-covered shortly after the onset. Motorists should use extreme care on interstates 25, 70 and 80.
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"In Denver, it's a close call between heavy snow to the southeast and little to no snow north and west," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Ken Clark. "How much snow falls in Denver will depend on how far south the storm emerges from the Rockies."
In some areas of western and central Nebraska and Kansas, a rapid changeover from ice to snow can occur.
“The weight of the snow, when combined with the freezing rain, will be too much for many trees and power lines to bear, making widespread power outages even more likely,” Elliott said.

Where an icy mix lingers, snowfall accumulations will be slashed significantly.
The snow and ice will shift farther north throughout Monday to include portions of northern Nebraska, eastern South Dakota and southwestern Minnesota by the afternoon.
Residents in and around Minneapolis may have to contend with a slippery morning and evening commute.
Mild and sunny conditions will return to the region by the middle of next week.
Areas affected by snow and ice will be able to thaw out during the daytime, but refreezing will become a concern during the cold nighttime hours.