Snow will shift to the Colorado Rockies, Arizona and New Mexico, bringing another blast of snow and cold for the region in time for the New Year.
Following snow across the northern Rockies over the weekend, the snow and cold will dive southward through the Four Corners region on New Year’s Eve.
Snow will move in from the north, starting first in the Colorado Rockies and Utah on Monday morning. By mid-afternoon, snow will reach northern Arizona and New Mexico, diving into central parts of the Southwest by Monday night.
“This storm could be a near repeat of snow for the areas that were hit with last Friday’s snowstorm around New Mexico,” said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski.
Snow will blanket the lower elevations and valleys, and bury the higher elevations of New Mexico and Colorado.
Cities from Colorado Springs, Colorado, to Flagstaff, Arizona and Albuquerque, New Mexico, can expect several inches of snow. This will create slippery conditions on roads and sidewalks while the snow is falling, even after the snow has stopped.
This will be especially true for communities and roadways in the higher elevations.
“The heaviest snow will be confined to the mountains where 6-12 inches of snow is expected with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 18 inches,” said AccuWeather Meteorologist Alyson Hoegg.
Difficult travel will be likely across parts of I-70 in Colorado, but also much of I-25 and I-40. Parts of US 160 in Arizona and Colorado as well as Highway 555 in New Mexico and Colorado could also have changeable conditions as elevations change.
“This storm will be slow moving, allowing for snow to fall for several hours in most places. In northwestern New Mexico, snow could begin Monday afternoon and continue into Tuesday evening,” Hoegg added.
Download the free AccuWeather app to see the exact forecast, including start and end times for snow in your area.
In addition to accumulating snow, those on the roadways could also be dealing with increasingly windy conditions.
Winds will pick up on New Year’s Eve and could gust as high as 30 mph through New Year’s Day on Tuesday. Winds of this strength could further reduce visibility for those traveling to celebrate the new year.
Following the snow and wind on Tuesday will be a change in the pattern later in the week.
By late-week, temperatures will return to above-freezing levels for cities like Albuquerque, Denver and Flagstaff. If temperatures rise rapidly and snow melts quickly, this could lead to flooding issues across much of the region into the coming weekend.
Click on the above photo to test your weather-prediction skills and play Forecaster Challenge