Winter weather alerts are in place for parts of 12 U.S. states as meteorologists predict an "energetic" Jetstream will bring a series of storms from the Pacific over the West Coast and into the Great Plains region "for the foreseeable future."
The National Weather Service (NWS) issued warnings and advisories for Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Kansas, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah, warning of hazardous travel conditions due to slippery roads and reduced visibility.
A warning is also in place for parts of Alaska as well as an advisory for north central New York, with blizzards continuing to impact the former and lake-effect snow the latter.
In its latest forecast, the meteorology agency said a storm currently moving over the Four Corners region will continue through the Great Plains on Thursday, "encouraging moist Gulf return flow northward ahead of the system which will contribute to areas of snow and a wintry mix in the cooler air."
Overall, the region is anticipated to see between two and four inches of snowfall, with locally higher amounts possible, while "adjacent areas of Kansas and northern Oklahoma will likely see a wintry mix of rain and some snow, with some light accumulations possible."
On Wednesday, the NWS warned of thunderstorms, snow and high surf for the West Coast as the latest storm made landfall.
In California, snow accumulations of up to four inches in elevations above 4,000 feet remain possible through Thursday, while higher terrain regions in northeast and central Nevada could see as much as a foot of snow and 40 mile an hour winds.
Higher elevations of northeastern Arizona could see localized snow accumulations of up to eight inches. The NWS has placed warnings and advisories across a swathe of northern New Mexico, with up to 14 inches of snow in the Northern Mountains and wind gusts of 35 miles an hour in the Central Mountains.
As much as a foot of snow could accumulate in Colorado's San Juan mountain range above 10,000 feet, with lower amounts elsewhere in southerly regions of the state. Parts of the Southern Mountains in Utah could see 10 inches of snow.
Several inches of snow and winds of up to 40 miles an hour are anticipated in higher elevation areas of the Texas panhandle, which, along with the Oklahoma panhandle, is set to have wet snow that could make roads "slick and hazardous."
Snowfall of a few inches is expected across western and south-central Kansas, as well as ice accumulations in western portions of the state and into southwest Nebraska, due to a mix of snow, rain and freezing drizzle on Thursday and Friday.
Western states have already faced several bouts of snowfall so far this winter, having been subjected to a "prolific series" of atmospheric river storms from the Pacific. Last winter, the West Coast experienced the effects of a similar weather front, with California seeing several rounds of flooding.
The NWS said after Thursday's storm, another will "follow on the heels of the first" late on Friday, bringing the possibility of further precipitation.
An Alberta Clipper system moving down from Canada will continue to impact parts of New York bordering Lake Ontario, with up to six inches of snow falling.
Lake-effect snow is a phenomenon in which cold air picks up moisture from large bodies of water to produce precipitation. The region has already seen bouts of lake-effect snow this winter.
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Aleks Phillips is a Newsweek U.S. News Reporter based in London. His focus is on U.S. politics and the environment. ... Read more
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