National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Atmospheric River to Begin to Impact the Northwest U.S.; Gusty Winds in the Northeast U.S.

A strong atmospheric river moving into northern California later Tuesday will bring a threat for moderate to heavy rainfall and flooding, gusty to high winds, and mountain snows for parts of the Northwest U.S. through at least Wednesday. Gusty winds and isolated rain and snow showers will continue in the Northeast U.S. Tuesday behind a cold front. Read More >

Travel has become difficult across the region due to strong winds and blowing snow, which then melts and refreezes on roadways. Several accidents have been reported across central and northeast South Dakota. Strong winds will continue through the day. Keep up to date with road conditions at www.safetravelusa.com/sd.

We are still watching the potential for a strong winter storm affecting the Northern Plains on Christmas. The graphic basically tells the story. While the models continue to show a rather strong storm system with heavy precipitation, exact details in the storm track and precipitation amounts are uncertain. Heavy snow is quite possible, along with strong winds. There appears to be enough warm air with this system to bring a potential for rain and freezing rain as well. But again, any shift in the storm track will change who is affected by this. The graphic shows our best forecast at this point in time, until we get closer to the weekend.