BOSTON — A powerful winter storm is expected to dump several feet of snow on parts of the West starting Monday, while much of the central U.S. will bask in unseasonably warm conditions. Windy conditions also increase the risk of fires in several states.
The National Weather Service said parts of the Oregon Cascades and Northern Rockies will experience near-blizzard conditions on Monday with one to five inches of snow per hour and wind speeds of more than 64 miles per hour. It warned of dangerous travel conditions.
The storm will move into the Great Basin and Central Rockies on Tuesday, bringing much colder temperatures and strong winds over the inner mountain to the west, said Andrew Orrison, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland.
“It will be very wintry for the next two days,” he added.
The West is just one place with unusual and in some cases dangerous weather conditions. Here’s what you can expect elsewhere.
WARM CONDITIONS IN THE HARTLAND
This time of year should be the coldest in places like Chicago. But the city and many others across the central US are getting an early taste of summer, with temperatures in the 60s and 70s. Golfing anyone?
The warm conditions were a continuation of last weekend’s balmy weather, with temperatures reaching the 60s in Denver, Chicago and Des Moines, Iowa. Kansas City, Missouri, enjoyed temperatures in the mid-70s.
FIRE HAZARD IN THE PLAINS
But warmer temperatures have increased the risk of fires in the Great Plains.
The National Weather Service said dry, gusty winds were creating what it called critical fire conditions, and issued red flag warnings and fire advisories in parts of New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, to Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and east into Iowa , Illinois and Missouri.
Neighboring states, including parts of Arkansas, Minnesota and Wisconsin, faced dangerous weather forecasts due to increased fire danger, according to weather service maps.