(Spirit Lake)– It’s still several days away, but the National Weather Service is already talking about the possibility of what could be a major winter storm that will likely affect the area this coming weekend.
Forecasters say a significant winter storm is expected to develop over the southwestern U.S. by the end of the week and will lift northeast into the plains Saturday and Sunday. While there’s still some uncertainty over the exact track, they say there’s a possibility the system could produce heavy amounts of precipitation, followed by wind and much colder temperatures by early next week.
Current indications are that temperatures may be warm enough for rain or a wintry mix at the onset of the system Saturday night. Precipitation will likely change to snow during the day Sunday and could become heavy at times. Snow is expected to continue Sunday night into early Monday.
Strong wind is expected behind the system Sunday, causing blowing and drifting of what snow does fall with the system.
Forecasters say it’s still too early to try to pinpoint snowfall amounts. They say that will depend on two things: the exact track of the system and temperatures.
In the meantime, they’re advising anyone with travel plans over the weekend, especially Saturday night and Sunday, to play close attention to future forecasts.
