A massive winter storm is bringing blizzard conditions and threatening tornadoes in the central US - CNN

CNN  — 

A elephantine winter storm is bringing terrible upwind Tuesday to the cardinal US, with unsafe blizzard conditions successful the cardinal and bluish Plains, icy upwind successful the Upper Midwest and terrible storms with tornado hazard expected on the Gulf Coast.

The storm, which walloped the West implicit the weekend, is expected to fortify arsenic it pushes eastward Tuesday, past stall crossed the cardinal Plains into Thursday, snarling question amid blowing snowfall and freezing rain. About 15 cardinal radical successful a twelve states are nether winter-weather warnings oregon advisories Tuesday morning, with powerfulness outages a cardinal concern.

Meanwhile, the confederate extremity of the tempest is expected to bring late-season tornadoes on with beardown thunderstorms. About 25 cardinal radical from Texas to Mississippi are nether menace of terrible upwind Tuesday, besides including damaging upwind and ample hail.

Here’s what antithetic regions tin expect successful the coming days:

• Blizzard conditions are expected Tuesday and Wednesday for parts of the cardinal and bluish Plains, with snowfall astatine times expected to autumn astatine rates of 1 to 2 inches per hr amid almighty 40 mph winds.

• An “enhanced risk” for terrible storms Tuesday stretches from eastbound Texas to bluish Louisiana and southwestern Mississippi, with tornadoes, ample hail and damaging consecutive enactment winds possible.

• A tornado ticker is successful effect Tuesday greeting for parts of Texas and confederate Oklahoma until 11 a.m. CT.

• The top flash flooding menace volition beryllium Tuesday into Wednesday from the little Mississippi Valley into the cardinal Gulf Coast, Tennessee Valley and confederate Appalachians.

• Freezing rainfall and sleet volition beryllium imaginable done Wednesday successful the Upper Midwest.

The storm, which archetypal deed the Western US with much-needed snowfall and rain, resulted successful wintertime tempest alerts from the Canadian borderline to Mexico’s borderline with New Mexico.

In Denver, up to 5 inches of snowfall are expected Tuesday, with 50 mph upwind gusts possible.

Blizzard warnings extended Tuesday from parts of Montana and Wyoming into northeastern Colorado, occidental Nebraska and South Dakota, wherever harsh, life-threatening conditions are expected.

Snowfall done Wednesday greeting mostly could beryllium 10 to 18 inches successful the cardinal and bluish Plains and Upper Midwest. Some areas wrong the blizzard informing zones – peculiarly occidental South Dakota, eastbound Wyoming and northwestern Nebraska – could get arsenic galore arsenic 24 inches of snow, with winds beardown capable to sound down histrion limbs and origin powerfulness outages, the Weather Prediction Center said.

“We’re not expecting a speedy burst of snowfall here,” Brandon Wills, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service successful Cheyenne, Wyoming, said Monday evening. Snow is “going to accumulate the highest successful the bluish Nebraska panhandle – and it’s going to beryllium blowing astir similar brainsick due to the fact that of the beardown winds that we’re going to person arsenic well,” helium said.

Interstates successful South Dakota could go impassable amid the blizzard conditions, resulting successful roadway closures crossed the state, the South Dakota Department of Transportation warned Monday.

Ice tempest warnings were issued for parts of eastbound South Dakota, southwestern Minnesota and occidental Iowa. Up to two-tenths of an inch of crystal could accumulate successful immoderate of these areas, forecasters said.

In Anchorage, Alaska, an “unprecedented magnitude of snowfall” has led to schools being closed for 4 days and connected Monday unopen down the University of Alaska Anchorage and Alaska Pacific University.

“The snowstorms that person deed Anchorage implicit the past week are historical successful nature, bringing anyplace betwixt 30-45 inches of snowfall to our city,” said Hans Rodvik, a spokesperson for the Anchorage mayor’s office, said Monday successful a connection to CNN.

Meanwhile, the confederate extremity of the tempest threatens to bring tornadoes.

A tornado ticker is successful effect Tuesday greeting for parts of Texas and confederate Oklahoma until 11 a.m. CT. The main threats are tornadoes, hail and upwind gusts up to 70 mph.

An alert for enhanced hazard of terrible weather – level 3 of 5 – was issued Tuesday for eastbound Texas and the little Mississippi River Valley, with the main threats including almighty tornadoes, damaging winds, and ample hail. Baton Rouge, Shreveport, and Lafayette, Louisiana, are portion of the threatened area, arsenic is Jackson, Mississippi.

A portion of flimsy hazard – level 2 of 5 – encircled that area, stretching from eastbound Texas and confederate Oklahoma to confederate Arkansas and overmuch of the remainder of Louisiana and cardinal Mississippi. That includes Dallas and New Orleans.

Tuesday besides brings a slight hazard of excessive rainfall successful parts of Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi, with 2 to 4 inches of rainfall and flash flooding possible, the Weather Prediction Center said.

On Wednesday, the menace for terrible upwind is mostly focused connected the Gulf Coast, with tornadoes and damaging winds imaginable implicit parts of confederate Louisiana, Mississippi, southwest Alabama and the occidental Florida Panhandle, the Storm Prediction Center said.