Winter storm bringing snow, ice and tornadoes, expected to wallop US this week

(NEW YORK) — A strong storm moving through the intermountain West and upper Midwest, with far-reaching impacts to the Gulf of Mexico, will bring blizzard conditions to the North and potential tornadoes in the South.

Storms, threatening destructive winds and tornadoes, will develop by noon on Monday from Houston, Texas, to Shreveport, Louisiana, building up throughout the afternoon and getting bigger by Monday evening.

Thunderstorms will develop ahead of a cold front making its way through southeast Texas late Monday night into Tuesday morning, according to the National Weather Service.

Over 3 feet of snow fell in the Sierra mountains in California over the weekend. According to the UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab, up to 7.5 inches of snow fell per hour on Saturday in the Sierras.

Sixteen states are under winter and/or wind alerts, with a winter storm expected to bring near-blizzard conditions to the upper Midwest on Monday and Tuesday.

A winter storm warning has also been issued in Salt Lake City, Utah, for Sunday, with forecasts predicting between 4 to 6 inches of snow.

Snow arrives in Denver, Colorado, around midnight, with 3 to 4 inches expected and up to a foot of snow in Vail and possibly over 2 feet of snow in southwestern Colorado.

The Mogollon Rim in east central Arizona is expecting heavy snow Sunday with rates that may approach more than 3 inches per hour.

Over a foot of snow and winds over 40 mph is possible in Nebraska, South Dakota and Minnesota on Monday and Tuesday, potentially causing driving conditions and power outages.

The ice event will begin on Monday afternoon and continue throughout the day, with snow falling and covering the ice on Tuesday morning.

Ahead of the storm, temperatures are expected to rise in the East and Midwest to the 60s, with several locations, including Chicago, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Pittsburg and Buffalo, nearing record highs.

For Buffalo, that is a near reversal from last week, which saw a massive winter storm impact the area and other parts of western New York.

Buffalo was hit with continued whiteout conditions and freezing temperatures that contributed to dozens of fatalities.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has called the Christmas weekend storm the “blizzard of the century.”

“This will go down in history as the most devastating storm in Buffalo’s long, storied history of having battled … many, many major storms,” Hochul, a Buffalo native, said during a Christmas morning news conference.

ABC News’ Meredith Deliso contributed to this report.

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