The incredible April storm has already produced winds of up to 150 mph over Mammoth Mountain and through tonight may produce damaging easterly winds through Salt Lake City thanks to the tremendous pressure gradient between a 1036mb high over western Canada and a sub 985mb low over southern Colorado. While winds scream across the Wasatch and adjacent ranges tonight, heavy snows are now breaking out from central Colorado across Northwest Kansas, Nebraska into South Dakota. These heavy snows will be driven by gale-force winds with potentially hurricane-force gusts, so especially over the high plains, expect blizzard conditions and conditions which may well shut down the major arteries of I-70, I-80 and I-90 by Tuesday morning.

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Just how much snow may fall? The snow totals expected are incredible by themselves never mind the temperature crash coming through tonight.

Here’s the latest GFS snow projections through the next 36 hrs.

Check this out this graphic off weather.com

As much as 2 FEET of snow for Rapid City!

Another amazing aspect to this system will be the depth of arctic air coming down on the backside of this low.

Denver hit the balmy 70s this afternoon but tonight, it just plummets and the high tomorrow (Monday) will only reach an astonishing 20°, what a stunning difference in one day. The low Tuesday night by the way may dip into the mid SINGLE DIGITS! Just amazing.

Here’s the GFS pressure/precip chart by early Tue AM, look at the gradient and check out the piling up of moisture.

Here’s 24 hrs from now and the amount of moisture involved and driving into the wall of arctic air is just stunning.

Check out that temp gradient at 27 hrs.

This is a brief post and will have a full update Tuesday afternoon. Stay tuned.

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