Messy weather week: Heavy snow, mixed precip & severe storms

A low pressure is making its way out of the Pacific Northwest and onto the west part of the Rocky Mountains on Sunday. This same system will continue to dip a bit more south and affect the Four Corner region and eventually will likely bring a healthy round of snow, some ice, and even the chance for severe storms for New Mexico, and Texas around midweek. Let’s discuss this system in depth!

Our WeatherRadar shows Our WeatherRadar shows that the storm is building just west of the Rockies. The first round of snow that this winter storm will bring will be mainly over Utah, where 1 to 4 inches of snow will be possible across the southwest portion of the state on Sunday. Winds will be strong at times, which could bring blowing snow and make driving conditions dangerous as visibility will be significantly reduced. Hazardous conditions are expected through Monday around midday.

Across Arizona, the Grand Canyon Region could receive between 1 and 2 inches of snow in areas below 5,000 feet and up to 8 inches of the white stuff in areas above 5,000 feet. Mogollon Rim and the White Mountains could also receive up to 8 inches of snow, especially over the higher peaks. Black Mesa could receive between 2 and 5 inches through Monday morning. Roads could be dangerous.

There is a high risk for minor impacts across the Texas Panhandle on Monday night through Tuesday. But before the storm arrives in the Lone Star State, heavy rounds of heavy snow will be possible for central and eastern New Mexico starting Monday night into Tuesday. By Tuesday afternoon the precipitation will turn into rain, then much cooler air will arrive by the evening and skies will begin to clear. Unusually cold temperatures, we mean in the teens in many locations, are possible on Wednesday morning, also making the roads very dangerous as any precipitation could be refreezing.

This same storm promises to bring a mixed bag of messy conditions to the Lone Star State. There is a chance for up to 4 inches of snow in areas just north of Lubbock, Texas on Tuesday, especially over areas near I-27 and to its northwest. Snowfall will be above 2 inches in this region as the storm swing by on Monday night into Tuesday. Be very careful if driving on I-27 between Amarillo and Lubbock, and surrounding cities, snow will be falling through the day on Tuesday and into the early evening. Conditions will gradually clear overnight into Wednesday. Low will be in between the upper teens and low 20s through the rest of the week.

Although most of the precipitation will be in the form of rain in areas south of I-20 over Texas, there could be some areas where there could be some mixed precipitation on Monday night into Tuesday, where temperatures could be near the freezing point or falling below it at times. Keep in mind that any slight variation of the storm that will be moving across the state could make the rain move more northward or could cause snowfall to move more southward. We will be monitoring this closely and bring you an update early Monday.

This system will merge with a low-pressure system moving from northern Mexico. Lots of moisture will increase the chance for severe storms across the states bordering the Gulf of Mexico Tuesday evening into Wednesday. We will also be updating the threats and timing of this as the storm progresses. Make sure to keep this in mind in case you have activities outdoors.