Winter storm starst today in the southern Rockies, with rain for Texas

Wednesday is the first day of a 3-day event across the south-central U.S. where heavy southern Rockies snow and excessive Texas rainfall are both expected.

Heavy snow and a wintry mix are on tap for northeast New Mexico, southeast Colorado, and the Front Range, while heavy, possibly flooding rains target Texas and the lower Mississippi Valley. The event began overnight.

The southern end of the Rockies hasn’t received as much snow action as the central and northern portions yet this season, so this is an exciting time! Winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories paint the map and even extend into the highlands and Front Range.

The Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles, as well as western Kansas, will get corralled into the wintry action as well.

Places under winter storm warnings include Los Alamos, Las Vegas, Raton, and Clayton, N.M., Trinidad, Springfield, and Wolf Creek Pass, Colo., Boise City, Okla., and Dalhart, Texas. The northeast New Mexico Mountains can expect at least a foot, with more in the 30-to-36-inch range in the highest peaks.

The eastern San Juan mountains in Colorado can expect up to 16 inches of snow through Thursday morning, making travel difficult along Route 160 in southeast Colorado. For the far western Texas and Oklahoma panhandles, up to 6 inches are possible, with amounts dwindling and mixing with rainfall as you head east.

The winter weather advisory extends as far as Durango, Colo., down to Torrence County, N.M., and as far east as Dodge City, Kan. A glaze of ice mixed with up to 2 inches of snow can be expected across the western central Plains, with those under the advisories in Colorado and New Mexico seeing up to 8 inches of snow with a light glaze of ice as well.

Now for the rainy side. As we’ve been noting the last few days, the clockwise turn of high pressure in the eastern U.S. will provide a sufficient surge of moisture out of the Gulf of Mexico to feed the storm system. This means plentiful rain for Texas, and it’s already happening.

Marginal risks for excessive rainfall are posed for Thursday through Saturday following the storm’s eastward trek. The Thursday and Friday risks are in Texas, while southern Louisiana gets pulled in on Saturday.

The Texas Panhandle and southward through Midland and Abilene will see the most rainfall over the next three days – up to 3 inches, with locally higher amounts nearing 5 inches. This will cause flooding in poor drainage areas and drought-stricken lands.

One to 2 inches of rain are expected in eastern Texas over the next three days, with similar amounts for southern Louisiana Saturday. Many of these spots are not only enduring as much as exceptional drought conditions, but they have also had recent heavy rainfall, which could lead to quicker puddling and possible flooding.