Winter Storm Wesley Should Lead to Blizzard Conditions in the Upper Midwest Plains

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Winter storm Wesley is likely to create blizzard conditions in the plains
  • An intense winter storm will form in the plains by Wednesday.
  • Abundant snow is likely in parts of the plains and upper Midwest.
  • This includes areas still flooded, including parts of the Missouri Valley.
  • Strong winds will likely result in blizzard conditions later Wednesday to Thursday or early Friday.
  • Some violent thunderstorms are also possible, which could spread on the east coast.

Winter storm Wesley will be an intense storm on the Plains by Wednesday, bringing heavy snow, strong winds, potential blizzard conditions and perhaps even some violent storms in the central part of the nation.

The configuration of this storm is a classic blend of April ingredients.

A strong jet stream is expected to emerge from the west, triggering the development of strong low pressure surface pressure on the plains by Wednesday. There will be enough cold air north of this depression to cover a layer of snow in parts of the plains and the center west.

The ingredients in play leading to the Plains storm later this week.

This configuration may seem familiar, as it has approximate similarities to last month's Plains bomb cyclone, Winter Storm Ulmer..

It is not clear that this storm will be strong enough to be considered a cyclone bomb, as the fall of the jet stream is not as strong as last month's storm, but it will certainly be a system of intense low pressure that could flirt with all April low-pressure records in parts of the Plainsaccording to data compiled by David Roth, a meteorologist at the NOAA Weather Prediction Center.

The National Weather Service has sent winter storm alerts to parts of six states in central Montana and Wasatch in southwestern Minnesota. Additional winter storm watches will likely be issued for other areas along the route of this storm.

(MORE: The cold will return after the fever of spring)

Winter Weather Alerts

(From the National Meteorological Service.)

Outlook timeline

From Monday to Tuesday, winter storm Wesley will spit snow in the highlands of the Rockies, Cascades and Sierra.

On Wednesday, we expect the surface to decrease intensely somewhere over the central plains, with a large area of ​​rain or snow and strong winds from the High Plains to the Upper Midwest. In some areas, precipitation can begin as rain and then become wet snow.

Wednesday Forecast

(The green areas indicate where the rain is expected.We expect there to be snow in the blue areas.The areas in the purple shade may receive rain or Snow is expected to appear in the pink areas where there is melting snow or freezing rain Isobaric white lines or lines of equal pressure The nearest closed isobar suggests where the low pressure center may be on Wednesdays.)

On Thursday, we expect that the center of winter storm Wesley will be somewhere near the Upper Midwest, with wind-blowing wet snow on its northwest flank, with rain and even thunderstorms to the east from the front in parts of the Midwest and Ohio Valley to the south. the Tennessee Valley.

Thursday forecast

(The green areas indicate where the rain is expected.We expect there to be snow in the blue areas.The areas in the purple shade may receive rain or Snow is expected to appear in the pink areas where there is melting snow or freezing rain Isobaric white lines or lines of equal pressure The nearest closed isobar suggests where the low pressure center may be on Thursdays.)

Wesley is expected to weaken by Friday, with persistent snow in the upper Mississippi Valley and northern Great Lakes. Reaching east, it will mainly produce rain and thunderstorms, even in northern New England.

(PLANS: 7-day US daily rain / snow forecast)

Potential impact

There is still uncertainty about the exact location and amounts of snow from winter storm Wesley, but a general scenario is becoming clearer.

At least 6 inches of snow is now likely to appear in a band from Wyoming to northern Michigan.

Within this band, it is increasingly likely that at least one foot of snow will accumulate in parts of South Dakota, northern Nebraska, southern Minnesota, and the western and southern parts of the band. Wisconsin. Some places in this area may see accumulations of 20 inches or more.

(MORE: When the last spring snow usually occurs)

Snow forecast

(This snowfall forecast may change, visit our website at weather.com for the latest update.)

The combination of high winds and snow can create blizzard conditions in parts of the Plains and Midwest on Wednesday early Friday, making travel difficult or impossible in parts of Minnesota, northern Iowa South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, eastern Colorado and northwestern Kansas. Road closures are possible, including potentially along sections of Highways 29, 80 and 90. Multiple snow drifts are possible in some areas.

The accumulation of heavy snow and rain and strong winds can result in power outages and damage to trees in some areas, which is typical of severe snow storms at the beginning and end of the season. There could also be wind damage in areas that receive little or no snow, which we saw during the bomb blast last month..

Wind forecast Thursday morning

(The strongest winds are expected in areas with purplish and red contours, and blizzard conditions are possible in parts of the Plains on Wednesday and Thursday.)

This heavy snow, which could begin as rain, is likely to fall on areas still subject to floods from last month's cyclone bomb. and snowmelt in recent weeks, including the flood-ravaged Missouri Valley.

Some of these areas could see more than an inch of rain and slush. This, coupled with the melting snow accumulated a few days after winter storm Wesley, would only aggravate and prolong ongoing flooding.

Rainfall outlook Tuesday – Friday

(The darker green contours indicate where we expect higher precipitation – rain and / or snow – after winter storm Wesley.The current status of river floods is indicated by dots, color-coded , US Geological Survey and National Weather Service.)

If that were not enough, there is even a risk of severe thunderstorms before the storm on Wednesday and Thursday in parts of the Midwest, possibly extending to the east on Friday.

(MORE: Possible severe thunderstorms on the warm side of Winter Storm Wesley)

Wesley may be reminiscent of a storm almost exactly one year ago, winter storm Xanto, which dumped more than one foot of snow in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and the twin cities, and up to 33 inches of snow in northeastern Wisconsin.

In parts of Minnesota and South Dakota, Wesley could flirt with the April snowstorm records, including the Twin Cities, which set their April record at Xanto 's. last year..

This storm is another reminder of the volatility and activity of the month of April..

Check with us at weather.com for updates to this forecast.

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