Easter Weekend Cold and Snow Will Plunge Through Rockies Into Parts of Plains, Upper Midwest

Jonathan Erdman

Published: April 11,2020

A potent blast of cold air will plunge into the United States Easter weekend, accompanied by spring snow in parts of the Rockies, Plains and upper Midwest.

A strong cold front will dive southward out of Canada into the northern Rockies on Friday, then plunge through the rest of the Plains this weekend.

While this is happening, low pressure is forecast to intensify in the nation's midsection by Easter Sunday, and then accelerate into the Great Lakes and southern Canada by Monday. This low will wrap moisture into the cold air and help pull this cold front through most of the rest of the South and East early next week.

The general setup for a plunge of cold air and snow this weekend into Monday.

Snow Forecast

Snow will continue to fall in much of Montana Saturday and will spread into parts of Wyoming and the Dakotas through Saturday afternoon.

The National Weather Service has issued winter storm warnings, winter storm watches and winter weather advisories for parts of Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, South Dakota, Nebraska, northwestern Iowa, southern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin and northern Michigan where moderate to heavy snow is possible this weekend.

The most hazardous conditions are expected in areas where a winter storm warning has been issued.

Winter Weather Alerts

Snow will spread into Nebraska and Colorado Saturday night, with some light snow possible farther east into parts of southern Minnesota, northwestern Iowa and northwestern Kansas.

Snow should taper off in the Rockies by later Sunday, but will pick up in parts of the upper Midwest, likely continuing into Monday in portions of the Great Lakes.

The heaviest snow accumulations are expected in the Rockies and close to Lake Superior. Some spots in northern Wisconsin or Michigan could see a foot of snow. More than 6 inches of snow may pile up in parts of southeastern Minnesota, northern Iowa, northern Nebraska and southern South Dakota.

(MORE: Yes, April Is Actually the Snowiest Month in These Places)

Most other areas should see lighter snowfall amounts, including the lower elevations of the Denver metro area and possibly the Twin Cities.

Some snow may also develop from northern New Mexico and Colorado into the Texas Panhandle, Oklahoma and southwestern Kansas Monday into Tuesday.

Snowfall Forecast

Cold Forecast

How cold is this weekend plunge?

Forecast high and low temperatures are expected to be 15 to 30 degrees colder than average for mid-April.

By Easter Sunday, this means daytime high temperatures may not get out of the 20s or lower 30s in the northern Rockies and Northern Plains, including Denver. By Monday, highs should be stuck in the 30s and 40s in the upper Midwest, with 40s as far south as the Texas Panhandle.

Forecast High Temperatures Early in the Week

Lows Sunday and Monday mornings may be in the single digits and teens in the Rockies and High Plains. By Tuesday morning, lows in the 20s and 30s will spread into Oklahoma and northwestern Texas.

Daily record cold high and low temperatures are possible. On Sunday, daily record lows are possible in Montana, including Great Falls and Missoula and daily record cold highs may be broken from Billings, Montana to Denver and eastward into Rapid City, South Dakota, and Grand Island, Nebraska.

Breezy conditions will also add to the chill in the air in the Rockies and Plains this weekend.

It may take until Wednesday or Thursday for some colder air to reach the East and Southeast.

(MAPS: 10-Day U.S. Forecast Highs and Lows)

Forecast Morning Lows

And this cold isn't going anywhere for awhile.

Due to a northward bulge of the jet stream into Alaska, this colder-than-average regime appears likely to lock in place in the Rockies, Plains and Midwest through much of next week.

(MORE: When the Last Freeze of the Season Happens)

Some long-range outlooks from NOAA and The Weather Company, an IBM Business, suggest this chillier air may linger in at least some of these areas into the following week as well.

Long-Range Temperature Outlook

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.