(AP Photo)
The strong Pacific frontal system of the West Coast will push inland on Monday bringing snowy and windy weather to the Intermountain West this Christmas Eve.
Precipitation will start out as rain or a wintry mix of rain and snow during the morning hours in the valleys and will changeover to all snow in most locations by the afternoon.
Periods of heavy snowfall coupled with northwest winds averaging between 15 to 25 mph with higher gusts to 45 mph will reduce visibilities down to near white out conditions at times and create periods of drifting snow. Snow accumulations through Monday night will range from 1 to 4 inches in the southern valleys, 4 to 7 inches in the northern valleys and plains, and 6 to 10 inches in the mountain valleys, and up to 20 inches with locally higher amounts in the mountains.
These wintry weather conditions will make for hazardous travel conditions and will impact travel plans. Roads across the region will become slick and hazardous with snow and ice developing on bridges and overpasses. Motorists are encouraged to allow extra travel time for traveling during the holiday. Please monitor your local forecast and road conditions carefully.
Elsewhere in the West, as the Pacific frontal system moves inland, high pressure will begin to build into the West Coast, allowing for drier weather conditions across much of the Pacific Northwest and California.
In the East, a weak trough of low pressure crossing the Eastern U.S. will kick up showers and a few thunderstorms across the Southeast and into the Tennessee Valley as it heads into the eastern Atlantic Ocean.
This weather activity will pick up across the region and spread into Lower Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic through the latter half of the day as another trough of low pressure from the West approaches and moist flow from the Gulf of Mexico increases across the Gulf Coast.
Strong thunderstorms in parts of eastern Texas and the adjacent Louisiana areas may turn severe from the mid-evening onward. While the main concerns with storms in these areas will be hail and isolated damaging wind events, a few tornadoes may also develop.
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