A Strong Winter Storm in Development
By: Administrative Account | Source: The Weather Channel
November 21, 2003 12:47PM EST

Much colder air continues to steadily invade the West and Plains behind a powerful cold front and deepening low pressure aloft. Snow levels remain quite low in the Pacific Northwest within a few hundred feet of sea level. Snow fell on Thursday in Olympia and Tacoma, Washington, with heavy snow in the Cascades. In northeastern Washington, Spokane picked up 8.2 inches of snow which is a record snowfall for the date. Watch for gusty winds as a cold front surges southward into the central Rockies and northern Plains. By Saturday, much of the West and the northern half of the Plains will be 10 to 30 degrees below average. A developing winter storm will take aim on Nebraska, South Dakota, the High Plains of southeast Wyoming and northeast Colorado and the central Rockies on Saturday and then potentially track from Kansas to Lake Superior Sunday into Monday with heavy snow from Nebraska to Minnesota. Winter storm watches have already been posted for the U.P. of Michigan for Saturday night leading into Monday because of the potent potential that this storm bears. Blizzard conditions could progress across parts of Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, the Dakotas, northwest Iowa and Minnesota Friday through Sunday. The evolution of this potentially dangerous winter storm will be monitored closely.