Severe storms threaten central US as fall storm sweeps away record heat, brings mountain snow to West
The first impressive cold front of the fall brings severe weather and snow to central states, along with cooler temperatures. A reinforcing cold front sets up Friday to bring the cooler air and storms into the Northeast.
Tracking the fall storm from Plains to Northeast
FOX Weather is following the cold front sweeping through the Plains and touching off severe weather. It is producing snow in the mountains. And Meteorologist time it out as the storm closes in on the Northeast for the weekend.
One of the fall season’s first storm systems is in full swing, bringing high-elevation snow to the West, heavy rain and severe weather to the Plains and eventually a noticeable drop in temperatures for a large area of the nation after summerlike temperatures brought record-breaking heat to millions of Americans.
On Tuesday, severe thunderstorms produced large hail in parts of the Plains, including these large hailstones that fell in Kansas.
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Image 1 of 2Large hail fell in Lewis, Kansas, on Tuesday evening. (@DLScalesWX via X)
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Image 2 of 2Hail the size of quarters fell in Mullinville, Kansas, on Tuesday evening. (X/@_regan_rhodes)
More of the same is expected in parts of Texas and Oklahoma on Wednesday.
Wet Wednesday expected in the southern Plains
(FOX Weather)
The FOX Forecast Center says that by Wednesday, the cold front will stretch from Minnesota to Texas, which will once again lead to widespread rain along the front.
The bulk of the action will be focused on Oklahoma and Texas, but the cold front is expected to slow down and allow for extra moisture to build into the region.
(FOX Weather)
The rain is welcome in the Plains, and the predicted 2 to 3 inches of rain will help parched areas, but there's also the potential for some areas to pick up 3 to 5 inches of rain through the week, which could lead to flash flooding.
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(FOX Weather)
The storm system is also creating snow on the backside of it, and higher elevations in the West could pick up a few inches through Wednesday. The bulk of the snow will be found in northwestern Wyoming, where the highest elevations could pick up 3 to 5 inches through late Wednesday.
(FOX Weather)
Thursday and Friday weather forecast
The rain will continue in the southern Plains on Thursday as cooler temperatures begin to filter in from the north.
The Northeast will see the rain starting Friday and continuing at times through the weekend.
Additionally, the computer forecast models are hinting at a secondary cold front with another shot of cool Canadian air by Friday, which will continue spreading south and east across much of the central and eastern U.S. into the weekend.
(FOX Weather)
A snowy beginning
The storm system began to energize across the western U.S. on Monday and slammed parts of Texas and New Mexico with severe weather, including hail that slowed drivers in Las Vegas, New Mexico.
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Ski areas, like Brighton Resort in Utah, posted photos of snow in the area to get people excited for the upcoming season.