A Christmas weekend storm is set to hit Middle America by Friday, which could mean a “white” Christmas for many.
Snow, wind, and rain could hit a large part of the central United States this weekend, snarling travel plans, according to AccuWeather.
The storm is currently traveling over the Pacific Ocean and is expected to move over northern California by Friday morning, bringing heavy rain, while the Sierra Nevada could see an abundance of snow, The Weather Channel noted.
The storm is also expected to bring a spread of snow through the Great Basin and across the northern Rockies by late Friday.
From there, it’s expected to hit areas in the mountain West early Saturday before moving towards the east.
By late Saturday, the storm could bring some snow to parts of the northern Plains, while dropping freezing rain as far east as upper Mississippi Valley.
The Plains could also see heavy winds as the storm pushes through.
This could affect people who will be traveling locally or long distances from the High Plains to the Upper Midwest for the holiday.
“The storm may strengthen and reduce its forward speed as it travels northeastward from the central Plains toward the Upper Midwest from Christmas Day to Monday," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson said.
By Christmas night, “a mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain” could move throughout upstate New York and New England, TWC reported.
The storm won’t fizzle out completely until the top of next week, with leftover snow popping up in parts of the northern Plains and northern parts of Minnesota on Monday.
“The exact track and strength of such a strong storm would determine not only where the weather battle zone between rain, ice and snow would be, but also the northern and eastward extent of severe thunderstorms,” said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Henry Margusity.
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