Major Storm System Expected to Travel Over 2,500 Miles This Week

A far-reaching winter storm system is going to bring a load of moisture in the form of rain and snow to an area stretching about 2,600 miles. The storm will first impact the Desert Southwest with rain before moving to the northeast across the country. Here are the details on this developing storm system.

Moisture-Packed Storm Will Touch Large Part of the U.S.

The same weather maker that brought much-needed rain to Southern California will continue its journey to the east and the north this week, bringing significant moisture to a large part of the U.S. The central portions of the nation will see the precipitation begin by the middle of the week while the Northeast will need to wait until the weekend.

Southern California recorded an average of an inch of rain out of this storm, helping to provide relief to fire crews on the scene. The system then went on to dump several inches of snow on the higher terrains of California on Sunday and Monday before making its way into the Desert Southwest.

The immediate forecast is calling for rain for the lower elevations and snow for the higher terrains of Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico into Wednesday. Motorists will need to exercise caution when traveling on parts of Interstate 15 in Utah and Interstate 40 in New Mexico and Arizona.

Even normally arid Phoenix and Las Vegas will get in on some of the storm action with light rain showers. Heading up into the mountains of Arizona, Flagstaff is forecast to see a couple of inches of snow into Tuesday.

The line of moisture will reach Albuquerque, New Mexico by Wednesday. The biggest city in the state may see light snow showers or flurries at this time with highs that struggle to climb out of the mid 40s and lows that fall into the upper 20s.

Forecast for the Central U.S.

The system will continue to pick up more moisture as it moves into the central U.S. by the middle of the week. Should the storm produce colder air, those in a zone from southeastern Colorado and up into northwestern Kansas and central Nebraska may see snow develop as soon as Wednesday. The threat of wintry precipitation will persist until the end of the week for portions of the Rocky Mountains and over into the High Plains.

Cities that may see the flakes fly include Santa Fe, New Mexico. The threat of snow will pick up on Wednesday afternoon and linger through the evening hours with highs that stop in the upper 30s and lows that slip to about the 20-degree mark overnight.

About an inch of snow is in the forecast for Pueblo, Colorado overnight Wednesday and into Thursday. The chance of snow showers will persist during the early part of the day Thursday before drier conditions move into the region. Pueblo will see highs of about 43 degrees and lows in the mid 20s on both Wednesday and Thursday.

The warmer edge of the storm to the south will produce heavy rainfall. This forecast is good news for the south-central U.S., a part of the country that has been experiencing moisture levels well below the norm for January. For instance, both San Antonio and Austin are listed under the designation of extreme drought by the U.S. Drought Monitor.