More than a dozen US states are bracing for severe weather on Tuesday, bringing blizzards to the north and tornadoes to the south.
The National Weather Service (NWS) shows a significant winter storm, named ‘Lola,’ is making its way across parts of the Plains and Midwest that could see up to 18 inches.
‘Whiteout conditions are expected and will make travel treacherous and potentially life-threatening. Plan on slippery road conditions,’ the NWS shared in a statement.
‘The hazardous conditions could impact the Tuesday morning and evening commutes. Very strong winds could cause extensive tree damage.’
The National Weather Service has issued winter weather alerts from the Rockies to the Central Plains and upper Midwest.
That includes blizzard warnings for portions of Kansas City, Omaha, Nebraska, Des Moines, Iowa, and Rochester, Minnesota.
Parts of Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma are under a tornado watch as a potent thunderstorm is set to hit Tuesday morning.
Up to 75-mile-per-hour winds are expected across the Dallas-Fort Worth area, including 34 surrounding counties, which is under the advisory until 11am CT. Eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas have the same warning.
Meteorologists warned these regions could see ‘a few tornadoes,’ damaging winds and hail up to 1.5 inches.
The National Weather Service (NWS) shows a significant winter storm , named ‘Lola,’ is making its way across parts of the Plains and Midwest that could see up to 18 inches
Storm Lola is not expected to produce major snowfall totals, but meteorologists at The Weather Channel warned that the blizzard would create near-impossible travel conditions.
That is due to gusts up to 70 miles per hour ripping through the Central Plains starting Tuesday morning, which will move toward the upper Midwest this evening.
‘Travel conditions will likely be extremely dangerous where the snow and strong winds overlap,’ The Weather Channel warned.
‘Some broken tree limbs and power outages are possible, as well.’
On Tuesday, the swath of snow will expand and shift from northeastern Colorado to South Dakota and central and western Minnesota.
Lola is likely to linger in the upper Midwest, including the Great Lakes, Ohio River Valley and Appalachians, until Wednesday evening.
Minneapolis, Chicago, Cleveland and Pittsburgh may also experience snow conditions.
Meteorologists predict less than six inches of snow in the Central Plains and upper Midwest, while central parts of Wyoming could see between 12 to 18 inches.
The National Weather Service has issued winter weather alerts from the Rockies to the Central Plains and upper Midwest
Parts of Texas , Arkansas and Oklahoma are under a tornado watch as a potent thunderstorm is set to hit Tuesday morning
Blizzard conditions are also expected in Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska before the system moves east and takes aim at the upper Midwest.
But temperatures should not hit freezing during the winter storm.
At the same time, three states to the south are bracing for severe thunderstorms and possible tornadoes.
A Tornado Watch was issued for more than 10 million people in parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas on Tuesday morning.
The alert is for Dallas, Fort Worth, McKinney and Waco in Texas, where residents will see strong winds and ping-pong ball-sized hail.
Up to 75-mile-per-hour winds are expected across the Dallas-Fort Worth area, including 34 surrounding counties, which is under the advisory until 11am CT. Eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas have the same warning (stock)
Intense lighting was observed in Abilene early Tuesday. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has ordered a ground stop at DFW International Airport until at least 6:30 CT.
And Oncor shows more than 275,00 people were without power in the Dallas-Fort Worth area after 6am CT.
Structural damage has been reported in Allen, Oklahoma due to high winds, while McAlester is set to see hail nearly the size of golf balls.
Local KocoNews 5 reported that a possible tornado hit Ada at 7:20am CT, causing significant damage to an elementary school.
Parts of western Arkansas are set to see a storm roll in between 7am and 8am CT.
Western parts of Central Arkansas could have storms by 9am. The Little Rock Metro should have storms from 10am to 2pm. Storms should be out of the state around 3pm.
