A powerful winter storm is expected to bring a mix of snow and freezing rain to parts of the Plains and the upper Midwest beginning Friday evening (Nov. 30) and lasting well into weekend. In this water vapor imagery from GOES East, you can see the wintry weather approaching the region.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued winter storm watches and warnings from central Montana to northern Iowa. Parts of southern South Dakota and northern Nebraska could see snow totals of 8 inches or more, while portions of northern Nebraska may see snow accumulations exceed 12 inches. The NWS warns that travel conditions could become hazardous Saturday morning as the wintry mix changes over to heavy snow and blowing snow across western and central Nebraska and southern South Dakota.
In addition, parts of southern Minnesota and northern Iowa are expected to see a mix of freezing rain and snow Saturday morning with the wintry mix transitioning to all snow by the afternoon.
Water vapor imagery is created using a wavelength sensitive to the moisture content in the atmosphere. In this imagery, bright blue and white areas indicate the presence of high water vapor or moisture content, whereas dark orange and brown areas indicate little or no moisture present.