This latest storm system will slide through the Rockies on Saturday, pouring snow from Wyoming through New Mexico. The total snowfall is likely to reach about two to three inches for cities like Cheyenne, Colorado Springs, as far as Santa Fe and Albuquerque, New Mexico. Larger amounts are likely to be found as you rise in altitude.
For the last half of the weekend, that system targets Texas and Oklahoma, which can see up to a foot of snow between Lubbock and Oklahoma City.
The current forecast for Oklahoma City is 8 to 12 inches during the 48-hour period from Sunday to Monday. The last time the city had a two-day snowfall of at least 20 centimeters was a decade ago. In February 2011, Oklahoma City increased by 11.8 inches, which also became the fifth largest two-day snowfall on record.
Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Fayetteville, Arkansas, will be hit by two snowstorms in the next five days, increasing the chances of a foot of snow in this region.
‘Worst Ice Storm in 20 Years’ Affects the Mid-Atlantic
And a separate system could cause the worst ice storm in 20 years in mid-Atlantic bands until Sunday morning – a wintry mix of precipitation and freezing rain that can cause power cuts and nearly impossible travel conditions, according to the National Weather Service in Wakefield, Virginia.
The heavier ice is forecast to accumulate in parts of eastern Virginia.
In addition, ice storm warnings are in effect until Sunday morning for parts of Virginia and Maryland. Freezing rain and winter precipitation occurred early Saturday in parts of northern North Carolina, Virginia and southern Maryland.
Seattle Breaks Daily Records of Cold and Snow
In the northwest, temperatures dropped to a record low of 26 degrees Fahrenheit at the National Weather Service office in Seattle on Friday – breaking the old daily record of 29 degrees in 2004.
And a daily record of maximum snowfall was set on Friday at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, where 2.2 inches were reported – breaking the old 0.2 inch record in 1995, according to the NWS.
Seattle remains on a winter storm alert until Saturday afternoon, with the NWS forecasting 4 to 6 inches of total snow by the end of the day. The city averages 6.8 inches of snow annually.
Saturday’s winter storm warnings and warnings covered much of the Pacific Northwest and the western mountains. Ice storm warnings have been issued along the coasts of Washington and Oregon.
Areas from Montana to Minnesota have been under wind cooling warnings for at least a week, experiencing “similar” temperatures with temperatures as low as 60 degrees below zero at times. Wind cooling warnings cover more than 65 million people, from the Canadian border to southern Texas, while the Arctic outbreak continues to increase to the south in the coming days.
The state of the lone star
In Texas, record snow will be possible in some cities.
Confidence is growing for a significant snow event for the Rio Vermelho Valley and surrounding areas this weekend.
If the city measures more than a foot of snow in one day, it is approaching record snowfall. In February 2010, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport broke the record of 30 centimeters in just 24 hours.
“Ongoing sub-freezing temperatures will drop further when another arctic air wave arrives.”
Other areas of Texas will also be hit by fresh gunpowder, including San Angelo, Amarillo and Lubbock. The forecast for the Lubbock area is about 10 to 20 centimeters. If Lubbock ends up getting 8 inches, it would break his 10 most snowy days.
The NWS office in Amarillo is warning about the main impacts of the winter climate, including dangerous driving, power outages, reduced visibility and dangerous chills of the wind.
The forecast for this region is 6 to 9 inches of snow.
Further east, Oklahoma City could see its biggest blizzard in a decade, with a forecast of 20 to 25 centimeters.
A total of 4 to 8 inches of snow is expected from the Rocky Mountains across the southern plains and into the Ohio River Valley by Monday.
Ice concerns in the south
To the south and east of all this snow forecast is the risk of ice. Some cities that don’t normally experience a wintry climate will be dealing with a slippery mess.
The first round of freezing rain will be possible from Saturday night to Sunday in northeastern Texas, southern Arkansas and northwest Louisiana.
Ice accumulation totals should be light. But only a layer of ice can cause treacherous conditions on the roads.
As more humidity rises to the north of the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday and Monday night, however, more significant ice may be possible further south.
“This system will bring about a more significant generalized freeze [precipitation] accumulations … perhaps as far south as the coast, “says the NWS Houston office.
Houston and other Texas cities like San Antonio and Austin – as well as Shreveport, Louisiana – will be at risk of freezing on Monday. But the exact details of the forecast are still unknown.
The system will continue to track north and east towards the US east coast midweek. This could introduce ice formation from Mississippi through the Ohio River Valley, affecting similar locations earlier this week.
CNN’s Ray Sanchez contributed to this report.