Severe weather crosses west as tornadoes threaten Texas

A winter storm that brought heavy rain to the California coast this week is now wreaking havoc across much of the West, hitting Denver with heavy snowfall and threatening parts of Texas with tornadoes.

The National Weather Service says the major winter storm has blizzard conditions for parts of Colorado and Wyoming, thunderstorms for the southern and central plains, and tornado warnings for the Texas Panhandle.

For parts of Colorado and Wyoming, “the storm is expected to peak at its peak on Sunday, causing snowfall of up to 4 feet for the higher elevations,” the weather service said in a discussion of the forecast.

Nearly 2,000 weekend flights to Denver International Airport have been canceled, spokeswoman Emily Williams said.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis has declared a state of emergency and authorized the deployment of National Guard troops “to provide search, rescue and shelter assistance during the upcoming storm,” according to a statement from his office on Saturday.

Southern Nevada was in the midst of thunderstorms and hailstorms, forecasters said on Saturday. same parts of Arizona reported snow.

In Texas, the upper-level cold low crashes into warmer air, creating the possibility of tornadoes, forecasters said.

“It has a lot to do with the cold air from the north and the hot air from the south,” said Meteorological Service meteorologist Trenton Hoffeditz.

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The weather service said a tornado watch was in effect for parts of New Mexico until 5:00 p.m. local time. Winds could reach speeds of 70 miles per hour, he said.

Hoffeditz, based in the Weather Service’s Amarillo office, warned area residents to “pay attention to television, radio and Twitter.”

The weather service said the weather will move to the Mississippi Valley, Midwest, Southeast and Mid Atlantic by Monday.