Weather

A snowstorm will blast the northern Plains on Monday, with strong winds creating blizzard conditions across the western Dakotas. The precipitation may begin as rain or an icy mix in the upper Mississippi River Valley. While snow falls to the north, strong winds will whip through the central Plains, and much cooler air will expand across the southern High Plains. The same storm will produce rain and thunderstorms from the mid-Mississippi Valley to the western Gulf Coast.

Ahead of the storm, snow will brush parts of New England early in the morning. A high-pressure system will follow in the snow’s wake. This will result in a dry day across most of the East Coast. A gusty breeze will persist along the Northeast coast, but the risk of coastal flooding will be lower than the past few days.

Dry weather will prevail across much of the West. A few rain and mountain snow showers will affect spots from Washington to northern Idaho. Temperatures will be several degrees below normal across the Rockies, and just slightly below normal throughout the rest of the region. Southern California will turn warmer, because of Santa Ana winds.

Snow and coastal rain will spread over the East on Wednesday as another late-winter storm targets the region. Snowfall in the major cities will mix with rain. Accumulation may reach 1 foot in northern New England and eastern New York state.