A major winter storm will disrupt travel from the Plains into the Midwest andMississippi Valley for Christmas Eve commuters. Heavy snow and possibleblizzard conditions will occur from Kansas into South Dakota and southernMinnesota. Some stretches of road may end up closed along with devastatingeffects on air travel. An icy mix will result in slick roadways from northernIowa into southern Wisconsin.To the south, this storm will produce severe thunderstorms across the lowerMississippi Valley that will unleash heavy rain and damaging winds that renewthe recent flooding problems.
In the far west, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day will be dry with the onlyproblem being Santa Ana winds in Southern California.
The worst of the snowstorm will shift to the Upper Midwest on Christmas Day,but blowing and drifting snow will continue to cause havoc across the northernPlains.
Farther east, an icy mess is expected through the Appalachians and Piedmontregion. The ice will begin in western North Carolina and southwestern VirginiaThursday night, then will spread into Pennsylvania and New York ChristmasDay.
Story By AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Eric Leister.
