CENTRAL PLAINS AND OHIO VALLEY — A large and dynamic storm system is projected to organize Thursday, tracking from the Central Plains into the Ohio Valley and bringing a sharp divide between severe thunderstorms to the south and heavy snow across portions of the Midwest.
Forecast data indicates a strengthening surface low deepening to around 991 mb over the Mid-Mississippi Valley, signaling a potent system capable of producing widespread impacts.
Deepening Low Pressure Over the Mid-Mississippi Valley
Model guidance shows the storm consolidating over Missouri and Illinois before lifting northeast toward the Ohio Valley. Tight pressure gradients around the 991 mb low center suggest strong winds wrapping around the system, enhancing lift and intensifying precipitation bands.
North and northwest of the low track, colder air is firmly entrenched. Thickness values support accumulating snow from parts of Iowa into northern Illinois and possibly southern Wisconsin, where steady snow bands appear likely…