By AccuWeather meteorologist
Published Feb 12, 2023 7:54 AM EST | Updated Feb 14, 2023 6:29 PM EST
A significant shift toward colder conditions is in store for the western United States through the middle of the week and AccuWeather forecasters are tracking a storm and monitoring the potential for a foot of snow or more to fall across some high-elevation locations.
On the heels of a storm at the jet stream level of the atmosphere that tracked through the West on Monday before lifting northward into the Plains, a separate storm will arrive in the Pacific Northwest and deliver rain and some areas of snow that are likely to continue at times into Tuesday. From 1 to 2 feet of snow will pile up near and above pass levels in the Cascades with difficult travel.
This new storm carried a potent cold front through the region. As temperatures dipped Tuesday morning, rain transitioned to a bit of wet snow but generally did not accumulate in Portland, Oregon, AccuWeather climatologists said. Portland has only recorded 0.2 of an inch of snow in December and no accumulating snow since Jan. 1.
As the storm progresses to the south and east, it will strengthen and areas of snow will expand. At the same time, the atmosphere will trend colder. The conditions will set the stage for robust snow across a large part of the western half of the country, AccuWeather Meteorologist Mary Gilbert said.
As much as 1 to 3 feet of snow will pile up over the Colorado Rockies. However, even cities just east of the mountains, such as Denver, Colorado Springs and Pueblo, Colorado, are likely to receive heavy snowfall.
Much of that snow may fall in a matter of several hours.
"Denver can receive a notable thump of snow from this storm over the course of about 36 hours," Gilbert said. The heaviest snow that falls in Denver from Tuesday night to Wednesday night may occur during the day on Wednesday when much of the forecast 6-10 inches of snow could pile up.
The southern extent of the expected snowfall is also noteworthy in that it could make a real dent in some of the snow deficits that have built up for parts of the Southwest this season.
"One such example is Albuquerque, New Mexico, which has recorded less than an inch of snow since October," Gilbert said. "Typically, at this point in February, the city would have picked up about 6 inches of snow."
If a plowable snowfall event does come to pass within these previously spared parts of the Southwest, difficult travel conditions may linger well after the storm concludes. This is due to a combination of factors that should maximize impacts as the storm pulls away to the northeast.
Travel and power were interrupted in Las Vegas Tuesday as snow was reported alongside wind gusts that topped 60 mph. Harry Reid International Airport was forced to issue a ground stop Tuesday afternoon, and at the same time, more than 14,000 people were reported without power.
"Winds will pick up in intensity across the Rockies as the storm gains strength into midweek. Travel may become tricky across the region as the combination of steady snow and some stronger winds can reduce visibility significantly," Gilbert explained. At the height of the event Tuesday into Wednesday, wind gusts may top 50 mph in portions of Arizona and New Mexico.
Motorists should expect wintry travel, lengthy delays and possible road closures to ramp up from Tuesday to Thursday along portions of interstate highways 25, 40, 70 and 80 over the Intermountain West.
Even as the snow winds down over the West, the storm is expected to strengthen even further and deliver impacts across much of the central and eastern parts of the U.S. through the end of the week. Snow will expand from the Rockies to the Upper Midwest while a multiday severe weather event unfolds in the South Central and Southeastern states.
As for the West, temperatures will slowly trend upward late this week and into next weekend.
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