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Back-to-back winter storms will bring snow and ice to parts of the West, Plains, Midwest and Northeast beginning this first weekend of climatological spring.
Two low-pressure systems are expected to develop in the West and track into the central and eastern U.S. through early next week.
The first round of snow and ice will sweep across portions of those regions Friday through Sunday, followed closely by the second round of wintry weather Sunday night through Tuesday.
Here’s our current outlook for this pair of winter storms. Be sure to download the FOX Weather app for the latest forecast and weather alerts for your exact location, plus our channel’s 24/7 livestream.
Friday-Friday night
Snow will first blanket areas from the high country of California to the Rockies Thursday night through Friday.
By Friday night, snow, sleet and freezing rain will spread eastward from the High Plains of Wyoming and northern Colorado into portions of the Dakotas, northern Nebraska, Minnesota, northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Denver will see mainly rain, but some snow could mix in toward daybreak Saturday morning. The precipitation should start as rain in Minneapolis/St. Paul late Friday night before changing over to an icy mix of freezing rain, sleet and snow.
Saturday-Saturday night
Snow will stretch from the Rockies to parts of the Dakotas, western and northern Nebraska and northern Minnesota on Saturday.
An area of freezing rain and sleet is expected over portions of eastern South Dakota, central Minnesota, northern Wisconsin, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and northern Lower Michigan.
Any wintry precipitation in Minneapolis/St. Paul will change over to rain Saturday morning as temperatures rise well above freezing, but the rain will transition back to a period of snow Saturday night before ending Sunday morning.
Farther east, some light freezing rain, sleet or snow might also spread into parts of upstate New York and northern New England on Saturday night.
Sunday-Sunday night
On Sunday, this first storm system will dust portions of the northern Great Lakes with leftover light snow, while a light mix of freezing rain, sleet and snow lingers in parts of northern New England.
Meanwhile, the second winter storm will begin spreading snow across the Rockies during the day before snow and some ice develop in parts of the Central Plains and Midwest on Sunday night.
Monday-Monday night
On Monday, an area of snow from the second storm is forecast to extend from portions of Iowa and northern Missouri into the southern Great Lakes, upstate New York and northern New England. However, since this is still a few days away, the placement of this snowfall could shift north or south.
The Monday morning and/or evening commute could be slippery in cities such as Chicago, Detroit and Buffalo, New York.
Some snow might linger into Tuesday across upstate New York and northern New England before ending Tuesday night.
Forecast snow amounts
Up to a foot of snow is likely through Sunday in portions of the Mountain West, including California’s Sierra Nevada, Utah’s Wasatch Range and the Rockies of Colorado and Wyoming.
In the central U.S., snowfall totals of at least 6 inches are possible from parts of western and northern Nebraska into portions of South Dakota, northern Minnesota and the western Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Most other areas of the Northern Plains, northern Great Lakes and northern New England are expected to pick up less than 6 inches of snow from the first storm system through Sunday.
Freezing rain and sleet will also cause some ice accretion in parts of central and northern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, northern Lower Michigan, upstate New York and northern New England. However, we do not expect a major ice storm because many of these areas will eventually change over to plain rain.
It’s too early to predict exact snowfall amounts from the second winter storm Sunday night through Tuesday, but for now, it appears the most significant snow will target areas from Iowa and northern Missouri to the southern Great Lakes, upstate New York and northern New England.
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