(WOWT) - The Plains will feel the brunt of winter again by the end of the week. Winter storm watches have been posted from western Nebraska to southern Minnesota through Friday evening. A strong low pressure will move into the middle part of the country by Thursday.
Rain showers will pick up by Thursday afternoon with light rain. But as we head into the late afternoon and evening pockets of heavier rain will be possible. Colder air moves early Friday, around the morning rush, that would be the time we would see wet snowflakes start to fall. However, snow will begin overnight for areas west and northwest of Omaha, near Columbus and Norfolk. Snow will continue through Friday afternoon and when we will likely pick up a majority of snow in the metro. Winds will be very strong coming out of the northwest. Gusts could be as high as 40-50 mph making for blizzard conditions to some areas just north of Omaha.
The metro area is expected to see 1"-2" of slushy snow, as are most areas just north of I-80. However, heavier snow will fall in the northern third of the viewing area. Snowfall totals could be as high as 5"-8" near Wayne and Thurston County. Thanks to the abnormally warm temperatures as of late it's likely much of this snow will initially melt on contact with roads, sidewalks, and even some grassy surfaces.
Colder weather stays around into the weekend as we get a reality check with highs in the 30s.
