A high-impact winter storm is forecast to bring rain and snow to an area spanning from California through the northern Plains to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
More than 20 million people are under winter weather alerts Sunday, including in Denver; Minneapolis; Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Bismarck, North Dakota.
More than 12 inches of snow had already accumulated in Alta, Utah, as of Sunday morning, with the Alta Ski Area reporting 22 inches in 24 hours. In Flagstaff, Arizona, more than 7 inches of snow had fallen and in Bellemont, a town 12 miles north, 10 inches of snow fell.
Heavy snow will continue to develop over the central and northern Plains on Sunday afternoon, with blizzard conditions that will create hazardous travel conditions overnight, affecting parts of Colorado to Minnesota. A dangerous combination of 2 inches per hour of snowfall and 60 mph wind gusts is possible.
“Strong winds and heavy, wet snow on trees and power lines may damage trees and cause power outages,” the National Weather Service said in an update Sunday. “Wind gusts over 50 mph today may result in power outages, blowing dust with reduced visibility, difficult travel and property damage.”
The forecast held true Sunday night as the weather service office for the Twin Cities reported a snowfall rate of 1 to 2 inches an hour. Social media imagery from Waterloo, Iowa, verified by NBC News showed near whiteout conditions before sunset.
The weather service office for Boulder, Colorado, reported a salad bar of precipitation, including “a band of rain/snow/graupel/hail/ice pellets & whatever other hydrometeors you may be seeing.” Social media video from southwest Denver, verified by NBC News, appeared to show graupel falling in the late afternoon.
Steady snow showers will persist through Monday, with snow clearing out and into Canada by Tuesday evening. The area from Nebraska to northern Wisconsin will likely see about 8 to 16 inches of snow, with some areas receiving up to 20 inches.
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