Winter Weather Alerts Issued for 6 States as Las Vegas Area Braces for Snow

Winter weather alerts are in place for four U.S. states as two weather patterns are expected to produce snow across various parts in the coming 48 hours. Heavy snow of between 4 and 10 inches could fall over Las Vegas, New Mexico, from Wednesday through to Friday.

The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued advisories and watches concerning snow and strong winds for parts of Alaska, Colorado, Michigan, New York, New Mexico and Wyoming. The NWS warned of reduced visibility and snow accumulations at higher elevations.

In its latest forecast, the weather agency said between 6 and 12 inches could fall over southern Colorado and northern New Mexico later on Tuesday and into Wednesday due to an area of low pressure.

However, the NWS was unsure where and how much snow would fall, "with some accumulating snow possible as low as 5,500 feet and as high as 7,500 feet."

The NWS added that travel around the Las Vegas, New Mexico, area could be very difficult to impossible, with road closures and significant delays possible, including on the I-25.

In the mountain ranges of northern New Mexico, as much as 16 inches of snow accumulation was possible above 7,500 feet, while higher-elevation regions on the other side of the border in Colorado could see up to 20 inches.

Winter storm watches are in place for both states, as well as for parts of southern Wyoming, where "freezing drizzle" and areas of "dense freezing fog" are expected around the Laramie mountain range, including the I-80.

The NWS said that showers and thunderstorms are anticipated over western Texas where warmer air was still flowing. It added that, on Wednesday and Thursday, temperatures in the central and southern High Plains were expected to plummet by 15 to 25 degrees Fahrenheit.

Meteorologists are also predicting snow for the Great Lakes region, but to a lesser extent, as a cold front sweeps through the Lower Great Lakes and Northeast, with between 3 and 6 inches by Thursday morning, when conditions are expected to improve.

Advisories are in place for counties of New York state near Lake Ontario, where up to 8 inches of snow could fall in some parts, and counties in northern Michigan straddling Lake Superior and Lake Michigan, where wind gusts could also reach 40 miles an hour.

The region recently faced another bout of snow brought on by an Alberta Clipper system moving cold air down from Canada. Western states have been subjected to a "prolific series" of atmospheric river storms from the Pacific, having experienced the effects of a similar weather front last winter.

Regions of Alaska continue to face low visibility and treacherous conditions due to blowing snow and wind chills. Two rounds of snowfall are expected in the coming 48 hours, with as much as 10 inches of snow falling in some parts.

In the Central Brooks Range, in the northern portion of the state, the NWS said that wind chills could reach minus 55 degrees and "could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes."

Correction 12/13/23, 3:30 a.m. ET: This article was updated to change references to Las Vegas, New Mexico. An earlier version mentioned Las Vegas, Nevada.

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