The biggest bugaboo on Christmas Eve will be the fierce blizzard that hitsKansas, Nebraska, western Iowa and Minnesota. Santa won't have any problem withit, but travelers will find the situation to be most unaccommodating. Somestretches of road will have to be shut down, and flights into and out of thearea will have to be cancelled.To the south, the storm will produce a rash of severe thunderstorms Thursdaywhich will unleash flooding downpours and damaging winds.
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 keep things pretty much shut down inNebraska and western Iowa.
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 Senior Meteorologist John Kocet.
