December 28,2014; 9:33PM,EST
Rain, snow, and unseasonably cold conditions will impact much of the West through the upcoming week with the threat of slippery travel in parts of the Southwest by midweek.
Snow levels will gradually fall through the day on Sunday leading to a foot of snow in the higher elevations of the Pacific Northwest and Intermountain West by Monday morning.
While mostly rain will fall along Interstate-5 in Washington and Oregon, snowflakes can mix in to sea level in the Puget Sound area, including Seattle and farther south near Portland, Oregon.
The hilltops around Seattle and the higher elevations around Portland could be whitened Sunday night into Monday morning.
AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Dave Samuhel stated "Parts of Montana will not be above zero for a day or two early next week. However, the core of the cold will not reach Seattle and Portland."
Snow will streak eastward to parts of the central Plains during the first part of this week.
Soon after snow falls on the interior Northwest, northern Rockies and parts of the Plains, much colder air will settle southward over the West.
The incoming cold combined with a new storm forecast to form over the Southwest will bring the threat for wintry precipitation to unusual places by the middle of the week.
Las Vegas, which averages about 0.3 of an inch of snow per year is forecast by AccuWeather to receive 1-3 inches of snow on Tuesday night into Wednesday. According to the Las Vegas National Weather Service Office, there have been 15 snowstorms that brought greater than 1 inch of snow. Records have been kept since the 1930s.
"Unusually cold air will target the southwestern U.S. by midweek. Las Vegas has not seen measurable snow since Dec. 17, 2008, when 3.6 inches of snow fell," said Samuhel.
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If the winter storm materializes in Las Vegas, the city could wind up with more snow than a number of locations in the Midwest and mid-Atlantic this December.
As the storm spins over the Southwest, snow will fall in the higher elevations of Southern California.
"Snow levels will be down to 2,500 feet (by midweek) and the Antelope Valley in the upper deserts outside of Los Angeles could have measurable snow as well," continued Samuhel.
There is the potential for icy and snow-covered roads over Cajon and Tejon passes from Tuesday evening through Wednesday.
During Wednesday and Wednesday night, motorists should expect travel delays and possible road closures along portions of I-40 in Arizona and New Mexico, where a half a foot of snow or more may fall. Motorists may want to consider taking a more southern route, such as I-10 during this time.
This cold regime will be firmly entrenched across the West through the new year, so people partaking in outdoor New Year's Eve festivities will need to bundle up.
Story by Ed Vallee, AccuWeather.com Meteorologist with content contributed by Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.
On Social Media
Keri Hanson
LeighBlaize
Wow! RT @breakingweather: For December, Las Vegas may end up with more snow than NYC with 1-3 inches forecast on Wed. ow.ly/GvhoD
Justin Hobson
justinhobson85
Rare low elevation snow event shaping up for the Las Vegas area! National Wx Service Watch Warning Advisory Summary forecast.weather.gov/showsigwx.php?…
Jim Snow
JTS17LV
If
you're coming to Las Vegas for New Years Eve, bring a jacket, it's
going to be cold, and will probably SNOW in some parts of town...
9hWilliam Smith · Top Commenter · Inventory at Rem Bar
Weird
weather we're having this winter,so far.Vegas, even Palm Springs, CA
could have as much if not more snow than most of the northeastern US by
this weekend, insane!
Cory Morrison · Follow · Top Commenter · Oakville, Ontario
At least it is the WEST getting the brunt of the cold for once instead of the Great Lakes region.
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