Multi-Day Winter Storm Pattern to Spread Snow, Flooding Rains and Severe Weather Across More Than 30 States

Heavy snow piling up in the Pacific Northwest, thunderstorms building over the South and a brewing snowstorm around the Great Lakes are all part of the same sprawling winter pattern expected to touch more than 30 states over the next several days.

From Jan. 6 through at least Jan. 10, back-to-back storm systems are sweeping from the Pacific into the Rockies, then across the Plains and into the Midwest and East Coast. At the same time, separate storms in Alaska and the northern Rockies are producing blizzardlike conditions and dangerous travel, federal forecasters say.

The National Weather Service has issued winter storm warnings, flood outlooks and severe storm risk areas across a broad swath of the country, warning of multiple feet of mountain snow, hazardous winds, bouts of heavy rain and at least a low-end threat of tornadoes in the South.

“This is a multi-day, multi-hazard event,” the Weather Prediction Center said in a recent discussion, highlighting heavy snow in the West, severe weather and flooding in the Mississippi and Tennessee valleys, and the potential for a “more significant event” in the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes by the weekend.

A week of storms, not just one

The unfolding pattern stitches together several overlapping systems.

Early in the week, winter storms struck Alaska. The National Weather Service office in Anchorage warned that parts of Bristol Bay could see total snow accumulations between 8 and 14 inches, with winds gusting to 40 mph and visibility reduced to one half mile or less at times. Similar alerts covered the Kuskokwim Delta, the Lower Yukon Valley and portions of southeast Alaska, with forecasters cautioning that land, air and marine travel could be difficult or impossible during periods of heavy snow and blowing snow.

Farther south, the first in a pair of Pacific systems came ashore in the Pacific Northwest on Jan. 6, bringing heavy rain at lower elevations and increasing snow to the mountains. A colder, stronger storm followed on Jan. 7 and 8, dropping snow levels and producing what forecasters described as dangerous conditions through the Cascades and northern Rockies.

In western Washington, the National Weather Service office in Seattle said 2 to 4 feet of snow was expected in the Cascades, with winds gusting to 35 mph. Travel could be “very difficult to impossible,” the office warned, urging drivers to avoid nonessential trips over mountain passes.

On the east slopes of the Oregon Cascades, a winter storm warning from the National Weather Service in Pendleton called for heavy snow with totals between 16 and 35 inches and wind gusts up to 45 mph. “Heavy snowfall and very low visibility will create extremely dangerous driving conditions,” the agency said, adding that gusty winds could bring down tree branches.

As those western storms move inland, energy from the jet stream and moisture from the Pacific are feeding a broader trough over the Rockies and Plains. Forecasters say that pattern favors heavy snow in the cold air to the north and west, while drawing warm, humid air from the Gulf of Mexico into the central and eastern United States, where it can fuel thunderstorms and flooding rains.

Snow in the high country, storms in the South

Through Thursday and Friday, snow is expected to spread across the higher elevations of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona. The Weather Prediction Center has outlined moderate to high chances of at least 6 inches of snow in the Colorado and Utah Rockies, the southern Rockies and Arizona’s White Mountains. Upslope winds on the Front Range and nearby high terrain, such as the Palmer Divide and Raton Mesa, could focus heavier bands.

Lower but still meaningful snow totals are possible into parts of southeast Colorado, southwest Kansas and the Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles, where colder air wraps southward behind the developing storm.

At the same time, a lead storm system will send rain and some thunderstorms across the southern Plains and into the Mississippi and Tennessee valleys. A second low pressure system is forecast to develop near the Four Corners region on Friday and track along a similar path, delivering another round of rain and storms to many of the same communities.

The Storm Prediction Center has outlined a Level 2 out of 5 “slight risk” of severe thunderstorms Friday for portions of Missouri, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana. That risk area includes metro regions such as Memphis and Jackson, Mississippi, where damaging winds, hail and a few tornadoes are possible.

Heavy rain falling in quick succession is also raising concern about flash flooding. The Weather Prediction Center has designated a Level 2 of 4 “slight” risk for excessive rainfall in middle Tennessee and northwestern Alabama, including Nashville and Huntsville. Forecasters say 2 to 3 inches of rain could fall in spots, particularly where storms repeatedly move over the same areas.

Midwest snow and East Coast rain

By the weekend, energy from the southern storm is expected to interact with a separate disturbance dropping out of Canada, allowing a surface low to deepen over the Great Lakes. That setup can create a deformation zone on the northwest side of the storm, where bands of heavy, wind-driven snow often form.

Forecast probabilities already show a 20% to 50% chance of at least 4 inches of snow in parts of the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes on Saturday, rising to more than 50% odds of 6 inches or more across northern Michigan later in the weekend. The Weather Prediction Center said those numbers signal the potential for a more significant event, though exact totals and locations will depend on the storm’s final track.

In the warm sector to the east, rain associated with the first system is expected to reach major East Coast cities — including Washington, Philadelphia, New York and Boston — by Friday morning. Showers and a few thunderstorms could linger into Saturday along the Interstate 95 corridor before drier conditions return late in the weekend.

Travel, power and a fragile system

The broad footprint of the storms means key transportation and power corridors will be exposed to hazardous weather at different points over several days.

In the West, heavy snow and low visibility are likely to affect vital freight routes such as Interstate 90 over Snoqualmie and Lookout passes and Interstate 84 through the Columbia River Gorge and into Idaho. Authorities have warned that chains, extended delays and occasional closures are likely as plow crews struggle to keep up with snowfall rates.

Farther east, snow and strong winds in the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes could disrupt travel on interstates and secondary roads, while ice and heavy, wet snow increase the risk of downed tree limbs and power lines. In the South, repeated heavy downpours may flood low-lying roads and strain aging stormwater systems.

Major airline hubs along the storm tracks — including Dallas-Fort Worth, Chicago, Atlanta, Charlotte, Washington and New York — face a heightened risk of delays and cancellations as rain, low clouds, thunderstorms or snow pass through. After severe storms in late December triggered thousands of flight cancellations nationwide, airlines and airports are closely watching the evolving forecasts. Carriers often choose to cancel flights preemptively during large storms to avoid more chaotic, day-of disruptions.

Rail traffic, including long-distance passenger routes and freight trains in the Great Lakes and Midwest, may also be affected by snow-clogged tracks and low visibility, as has happened during recent winter storms.

Storms on top of a snow drought

The incoming snow offers a crucial boost for mountain snowpack in the West, which has lagged far behind normal so far this winter. Many states in the Intermountain West, including Colorado, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Oregon, have been dealing with what researchers describe as a snow drought, with far below-average snow levels in early January.

Warmer-than-normal conditions have often turned what once would have been all-snow events into a mix of rain and snow, especially at mid-elevations. That cuts into the natural reservoir of snowpack that feeds rivers and reservoirs during spring and summer.

Even with this week’s multi-foot snowfall in the Cascades and Rockies, hydrologists say one storm sequence is unlikely to erase an entrenched deficit. Longer, sustained periods of cool, stormy weather are typically needed to rebuild snowpack across the region.

A country under one sky

From Bristol Bay to Boston, this week’s storms will look and feel very different: blinding snow along remote Alaskan rivers, avalanche danger and chain controls on Western passes, sirens for severe storms in the Lower Mississippi Valley, and plow convoys preparing for weekend snow in the Great Lakes.

What ties them together is a highly energetic jet stream and a moisture-rich atmosphere capable of delivering extremes at both ends of the temperature spectrum. As the week unfolds, the primary questions for officials and residents are less about the novelty of the weather and more about the basics: whether roads stay open, the lights stay on and people can safely ride out what, for many communities, will be the second or third major storm system in just a few weeks.