Winter Storm Warnings Issued for 7 States With Snow To Hit Texas

Winter storm warnings are in place for parts of seven states as meteorologists predict a "dynamic storm system" will bring snow to the Great Plains, with snowfall expected in the Texas panhandle.

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued warnings for Alaska, California, the Carolinas, Nevada, Oregon and Virginia, warning of hazardous travel conditions due to slippery roads and reduced visibility. Warnings were in place for New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas until Friday morning, but these have now been reduced to advisories.

In its latest forecast, the meteorology agency said a storm currently moving over the Great Plains will continue onto the Great Lakes region on Saturday, but will be followed by another Pacific storm, which will make landfall on Friday night, bringing heavy snow to mountainous areas and coastal rains.

"Around a foot of snow is expected for the Cascades and Sierra while slightly lesser totals are possible for the highest peaks of the Intermountain West," said the NWS. "This system will go on to intensify into a dynamic storm over the Great Plains and cause widespread impacts from there to the East Coast early to mid-week."

On Wednesday, the NWS warned of thunderstorms, snow and high surf for the West Coast as the latest storm made landfall.

Western states have already faced several bouts of snowfall so far this winter, having been subjected to a "prolific series" of atmospheric river storms from the Pacific. Last winter, the West Coast experienced the effects of a similar weather front, with California seeing several rounds of flooding.

Across California's Sierra Nevada range, up to 10 inches of snow is possible above 4,000 feet, while as much as 18 inches could fall above 6,000 feet, with wind gusts as high as 60 miles an hour. Travel is expected to be "very difficult to impossible."

Up to a foot of snow accumulation is set to arrive on Oregon's Cascades and Siskiyou mountains from Saturday morning, with wind gusts of up to 40 miles an hour.

Heavy snow of up to 20 inches above 7,000 feet is possible in the Lake Tahoe area of Nevada, with wind gusts reaching 100 miles an hour in parts. Wave heights on the lake are expected to reach four feet, while winds "could cause damage to trees and power lines."

Heavy snowfall and accumulations of up to 3 inches are expected across central and northeast New Mexico on Friday. In the Sacramento Mountains, above 7,500 feet, up to 6 inches of snow are anticipated to form.

Wet snow with accumulations of a few inches is expected over the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles, with roads expected to become "slick and hazardous."

Central Alaska continues to be impacted by high winds and low visibility from blowing snow. The NWS warned of winds up to 60 miles an hour that could bring down trees and power lines as well as potential large snow drifts until Friday morning.

The NWS also said snow is expected over New England and the mid-Atlantic from Saturday afternoon into Sunday, warning that a "combination of heavy, wet snow and gusty winds in Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts may lead to some power outages and tree damage."

It said that winds over coastal areas may lead to minor flooding along the mid-Atlantic and into southern New England on Sunday morning, while the Appalachians could see more than 0.1 inches of ice form due to freezing rain.

Warnings are in place for parts of western Virginia and the Carolinas along the range. In South Carolina, "significant" ice of three-tenths of an inch is expected on Saturday, with a heavy mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain expected over Surry County, North Carolina, and Carroll County, Virginia, at the same time.