A winter storm that brought heavy rain to the California coast this week is now wreaking havoc across much of the west, hitting Denver with heavy snow and threatening parts of Texas with tornadoes.
The National Weather Service says the big winter storm has blizzard conditions in parts of Colorado and Wyoming, storms in the southern and central plains and tornado warnings for the Texas Panhandle.
For parts of Colorado and Wyoming, “the storm is expected to peak in intensity on Sunday, bringing snow quantities of possibly 4 feet to the highest altitudes,” the Meteorological Service said in a forecasting discussion.
Nearly 2,000 weekend flights at Denver International Airport have been canceled, said spokeswoman Emily Williams.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis declared a state of emergency and authorized the deployment of National Guard troops “to provide search, rescue and shelter assistance during the approaching storm,” according to a statement from his office on Saturday.
Southern nevada it was in the midst of storms and hailstorms, meteorologists said on Saturday. Until parts of Arizona were reporting snow.
In Texas, the lowest and coldest level is colliding with the warmer air, creating the possibility of tornadoes, meteorologists said.
“It has a lot to do with the cold air in the North struggling with the warm air in the South,” said Meteorological Service meteorologist Trenton Hoffeditz.
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The Meteorological Service said a tornado watch it was in effect for parts of New Mexico until 5 pm local time. The winds can reach speeds of 70 miles per hour, he said.
Hoffeditz, based in the Amarillo Meteorological Service office, warned people in the region to “pay attention to television, radio, Twitter”.
The Meteorological Service said the climate will change for the Mississippi Valley, the Midwest, the Southeast and the Mid-Atlantic on Monday.
