At a Glance
- A new winter storm will bring blizzard conditions to California's Sierra to start the week.
- Snow will also impact lower elevations of the Northwest and the Rockies.
- The storm will spread snow toward the Midwest and Northeast later this week.
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A new coast-to-coast winter storm will bring blizzard conditions to California's Sierra Nevada before spreading toward the Midwest and Northeast with snow and ice later this week.
This system has been named Winter Storm Quest by The Weather Channel.
Here's a look at what we expect from this storm.
West Forecast
Multiple waves of snow will impact parts of the Northwest, California's Sierra and the Rockies from now through Wednesday.
That means you can expect heavy snow and strong winds at times in the Sierra and in other mountainous areas. Lower elevations of California will see periods of rain.
Blizzard warnings are posted in California's Sierra Nevada, where a combination of snow and high winds will make treacherous, if not impossible, into Wednesday.
Winter storm warnings, winter weather advisories and winter storm watches are in effect from lower elevations of the Pacific Northwest into the Rockies.
The heaviest snow is expected in California's Sierra, where several feet of additional snow will pile up through Wednesday.
Light accumulations of snowfall are possible in the Portland, Oregon, metro area through early Tuesday.
More than a foot of snow could coat higher elevations of the Rockies and Wasatch.
Plains, Midwest, Northeast Forecast
Winter Storm Quest will reorganize over the Plains by Thursday. From there, it will track toward the Midwest and Northeast with snow, ice and strong winds to close out the week.
The exact track of the storm is still uncertain, which means details like snow totals have not come into focus yet. Here's an overview of what we know right now.
Thursday: Snow will spread out of the southern Rockies into the Central Plains.
Friday: A large band of snow, sleet and freezing rain will extend from eastern Kansas into the southern Great Lakes and Northeast. Strong winds could accompany the snow in some of these areas.
Saturday: Snow could linger in the Northeast during the first part of the day before the storm heads out to sea.
Snow forecast: As mentioned earlier, there is forecast uncertainty for snow totals once Quest moves past the Rockies.
Areas from the Great Lakes into the Northeast and New England could see at least moderate, if not locally heavy accumulations. Lighter snow is expected in the Plains.
Check back with us at weather.com for more updates as this forecast comes into focus in the coming days.
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