By AccuWeather senior meteorologist & AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Feb. 18, 2022 1:02 PM EST | Updated Feb. 18, 2022 6:59 PM EST
February has been a stormy month across much of the United States, and AccuWeather forecasters say that the pattern doesn’t look like it will change anytime soon. Two cross-country storms are likely to develop and cause travel disruptions, beginning in the West, into next week.
A break from storms began at midweek along the Pacific coast and extended to the Colorado Rockies on Friday, and it will continue into the first part of the weekend before a new system arrives.
As the jet stream dives southward across the West Coast and the Rockies, a couple of storms will impact the West beginning later this weekend and lasting into the middle of next week.
A wave of snow is expected to sweep across the Washington and Oregon Cascades as well as the mountainous terrain of Idaho, Montana and northwestern Wyoming from Sunday to Monday with the first storm. Accumulations can reach a foot or more over the high country in the region, but a general swath of 3-6 inches is likely to fall at the passes of the Cascades and in many intermediate elevations in the northern Rockies.
In addition to several inches of snow expected to accumulate on roadways with this storm, a surge in gusty winds that will lead to blowing and drifting of snow is also likely. The combination will make for difficult travel conditions through Sunday night, including at and below pass level.
Widespread travel disruptions are expected in the West, including across portions of interstates 15, 25, 70, 80, and 90, especially through the higher terrain.
As the first storm dives farther south on Monday, Presidents Day, snow will expand into much of Wyoming, part of Utah, the Colorado Rockies, parts of northern Nevada and the northern Sierra Nevada. Areas much farther to the east in the Dakotas, Minnesota and Wisconsin will also be enveloped by snow.
Precipitation amounts will be lower across areas farther to the south and west, spanning much of California, southern Nevada and Arizona, but there can be enough snow reaching the northern Sierra Nevada to make for slippery travel by Monday.
The second storm that will arrive from later Tuesday into Wednesday is likely to be more impactful for the Southwest.
It will bring a moderate accumulation to much of the Sierra Nevada on the order of 6-10 inches with locally higher amounts, which is generally much more than the storm that hit the region early this week. Slippery travel is likely over the heavily traveled Donner Pass along Interstate 80 in California. It is the second storm that has a chance of bringing several inches of snow to the mountains of northern Arizona, northern New Mexico and southern Utah.
On the storm's southern side, gusty winds are also expected to develop across portions of the Southwest. Given the extremely dry conditions in these areas, the winds are likely to cause an elevated fire risk to these locations. Episodes of blowing dust and crosswinds can hinder travel along portions of the interstates 10 and 20 in the Southwest as well.
Sporadic rain showers are expected to reach low elevations of central and Southern California from Tuesday to Wednesday, but widespread drenching rainfall is not anticipated. Depending on the strength of the jet stream dip, there can be brief downpours and gusty thunderstorms with hail, similar to the storm setup from earlier this week.
The storm is also expected to continue the temperature rollercoaster ride that the region has experienced over the past week.
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"Neither of the two storms will bring some moisture and are unlikely to have a significant impact on the long-term drought in the Southwest, but they will bring much colder conditions to the region," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dave Bowers said.
For example, following highs well into the 70s this weekend in the Los Angeles area, temperatures will be slashed by 15-20 degrees with highs forecast to range from the upper 50s to the lower 60s from Monday to Wednesday, Bowers added.
The most dramatic swing in temperature is likely from the interior Northwest to the Rockies as the storms progress.
Temperatures in communities from Boise, Idaho, to Denver are likely to get a springlike boost over the weekend. Many locations can expect high temperatures more akin to late March rather than February. A high near 60 F is in store for the Mile High City on Sunday. However, the arrival of the first storm will also usher in the arrival of another wave of cold air.
"Very cold air will move into the Rockies with this storm; temperature readings can easily be 15-25 F degrees below normal, perhaps even colder for valley locations in the Rockies and High Plains that get fresh snow," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Joseph Bauer.
After soaring into the 50s and 60s over the weekend, temperatures will take a nosedive, plummeting into the 20s and 30s by Monday and Tuesday for cities like Great Falls, Montana, Salt Lake City and Denver.
Storms to cross the country, bringing widespread impacts
The impacts of the storm duo will not be limited to the western half of the United States.
"This is a multi-phase storm, where several pieces of energy in the atmosphere will stretch out to make it far-reaching," explained Bauer.
The first storm will roll northeastward from the southern Plains to the Great Lakes region from Monday to Wednesday. It could take a track similar to the dangerous storm that led to travel chaos across the nation's midsection this week, but it may be less intense. Warm air is forecast to flow freely into much of the southern and eastern parts of the nation ahead of its arrival.
The second storm, which is expected to shift eastward across the country from Thursday into Friday of next week, is more likely to bring wintry precipitation farther to the south and east in the Central states and Northeast, since colder air will settle in after the first storm and is likely to remain in place as the second storm rolls along a day or two later.
Both storms will bring the risk of thunderstorms and drenching rain. Problems associated with severe weather and flooding are likely from portions of the South to parts of the Ohio Valley and the Appalachians.
AccuWeather forecasters will continue to monitor the two storms and release details as they become clear on snow, ice, rain and thunderstorm impacts across the central and eastern U.S. into next week.
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