Triple threat: Massive cold front to bring Central US severe storms, Northeast washout and High Plains snow
A massive cold front will move into the Northern Plains and into the Midwest Monday before sweeping over most of the country through the week, ushering in severe storms, flooding rain and snow for higher elevations.
A massive cold front will move into the Northern Plains and into the Midwest Monday before sweeping over most of the country through the week, ushering in severe storms, flooding rain and snow for higher elevations.
Severe weather will spread across the Midwest and Great Lakes late Monday before reaching the Southern Plains and the Deep South by mid-week. That's when the northern half of the cold front will bring heavy rain to the Northeast, as snow wraps behind the front across the Northern Plains and the Rockies.
The sprawling system also has the potential to cause significant air travel delays in the eastern and Central US, as well as Denver, as the front drags across the nation through the week.
Behind the cold front, millions will see temperatures plunge 20 to 30 degrees below average, with conditions more like early March than early May.
After a volatile April, an unsettled pattern is taking shape across the Midwest and South, with multiple rounds of storms expected. Millions could face threats ranging from damaging winds and large hail to tornadoes and flash flooding.
Many of the same areas that were hit hard last month will be in the renewed threat zone, such as portions of Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Oklahoma and Texas.
Just within this last month, there have been more than 260 reported tornadoes across the central U.S., with the highest concentration centered over the Midwest.
On Monday, thunderstorms are forecast to reach the Upper Midwest, Ohio Valley and Great Lakes by mid-to-late afternoon as the cold front pushes south through the evening.
NOAA's Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has increased the severe weather threat to a Level 2 out of 5 risk of severe thunderstorms for portions of eastern Kansas, northern Missouri and western Illinois, including Kansas City and Springfield. The primary hazards are damaging wind gusts and hail.
Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Louis are under a Level 1 threat.
The front is expected to stall over the Southern Plains and the South on Tuesday, triggering multiple rounds of severe storms at least through Wednesday.
A Level 2 severe weather threat covers parts of North Texas, including Dallas, as well as eastern Oklahoma and Arkansas. Large hail, damaging winds and tornadoes will all be possible with any storms that develop.
The Level 2 threat shifts south into the Ark-La-Tex region on Wednesday, as well as parts of Mississippi and Alabama.
EL NIÑO EXPECTED TO DRIVE ATLANTIC STORM ACTIVITY AS COUNTDOWN TO HURRICANE SEASON BEGINS
Additionally, this setup is expected to bring several days of heavy rain beginning late Monday and continuing through midweek, impacting areas from Kansas to Ohio. The heaviest rainfall is expected Tuesday into Wednesday.
Due to a slow-moving front and the risk of storms—multiple thunderstorms hitting the same area in rapid succession—a Level 1 out of 5 flash flood risk is in effect Tuesday for areas from eastern Tennessee to southern Indiana.
That heavy rain is expected to expand from the Tennessee Valley into the Ohio Valley and Northeast beginning Wednesday, along the northern portion of the massive cold front.
These downpours could cause delays at major airports along the northeastern Interstate 95 corridor.
Behind the cold front, cold air will deliver heavy snow across the Central Rockies. According to the FOX Forecast Center, the greatest accumulations will be in the mountains of Wyoming and Colorado, where some of the highest peaks and passes could see between 1 and 2 feet of heavy, wet snow.
"Colorado will see widespread totals of 8 to12 inches across the northern and central mountains, including popular areas like Breckenridge and Rocky Mountain National Park," the Forecast Center said.
A Winter Storm Warning is in effect for Denver from Tuesday through Wednesday.
The snow will depart Thursday, leaving behind temperatures more reminiscent of early March for Denver and the eastern two-thirds of the country.
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