Snow, wind to sweep across northern tier of the U.S.

AccuWeather.com map.

Residents across the north-central U.S. are in for another stormy week, as a dose of winter weather and strong winds are expected to spread across the northern Rockies to the Upper Midwest.

The storm is first expected to impact the West Coast, bringing rain and mountain snow to portions of the Northwest and British Columbia in western Canada early in the week. An area of high pressure building off the California coast is forecast to steer this from the Northwest into the northern Plains, according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Joseph Bauer.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP

The stark differences in pressure between the two features will also help create a potent storm with two main hazards: snow and strong winds.

Snow developing across the northern Rockies is forecast to stream eastward across the northern Plains and Upper Midwest from early Tuesday through Wednesday night. The highest accumulations are likely across the elevated terrain of Montana and Idaho to Wyoming and northern Colorado, as well as near the United States-Canada border.

“Across the Upper Midwest, cold air in place across the Arrowhead of Minnesota could cause precipitation in that area to remain snow through the event,” explained Bauer. General accumulations from 1 to 3 inches are possible across North Dakota and northern Minnesota by Wednesday morning.

Farther south, locations like Madison, Wisconsin, and Minneapolis could see rain showers changing over to wet snowflakes as the storm moves east through Wednesday. Temperatures could still be marginally low enough in this area for snow to stick on the ground. If snow is able to accumulate, there could be isolated slippery conditions.

Snow, accompanied by bouts of gusty winds is also expected to bring additional hazards for the duration of the storm.

“An area of disruptive wind is expected Tuesday across the northern and central Rocky Front where wind gusts in excess of 60 mph can occur, particularly across the prone areas of southeast Wyoming and north-central Colorado,” warned Bauer.

Wind gusts up to 80 mph will also be within the realm of possibility along the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains.

AccuWeather meteorologists say that turbulent winds are expected to follow the storm into the Plains and Midwest through the middle of the week. With them will be the threats for downed trees and powerlines, localized damage and power outages.

As the storm pushes east across the Upper Midwest on Wednesday, gusty northerly winds and snow showers could lead to localized areas of enhanced accumulation, reduced visibility and difficult travel for motorists traveling on Interstate 90 and 94 across the Dakotas and Upper Midwest, noted Bauer.

Behind the storm, a wave of cold, Canadian air is expected to dive southward across the central U.S., adding to the wintry feel to the storm.

After a high in the upper 60s on Monday in Rapid City, South Dakota, afternoon temperatures are forecast to struggle to reach 40 degrees by Wednesday, almost 15 degrees below normal for early April. The area of coldest air will continue shift farther south and east throughout the week, bringing similar temperature drops to cities like St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri, by the end of the week.

The gusty winds will be responsible for making it feel even colder than the actual temperature reading, and bringing AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures down into the teens and 20s F on Wednesday morning from Colorado and Wyoming to central Minnesota and Iowa.

The chill is likely to linger into Thursday for many across the Midwest, threatening a winter-like opening day to MLB baseball season for many. Players and spectators alike attending home openers for the Minnesota Twins, St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs could all be greeted with conditions more similar to early March.

Temperatures are forecast to rebound across the Northern Plains and Midwest by the coming weekend as the coldest air shifts into the Tennessee Valley and much of the southeastern United States.

(Alyssa Smithmyer, AccuWeather Meteorologist & Courtney Travis, AccuWeather senior meteorologist, contributed this report. It first appeared here at accuweather.com.)