Christmas Travel Weather

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A mess in the West.
Below is the 5-day precipitation totals.
In some locations, this is the heaviest rainstorm/snowstorm is three years. So, expect traffic and airline delays.

A major winter storm -- with near blizzard conditions in some areas -- will develop in over the weekend in the Rockies and northern Great Plains. The storm will make its way into Ontario and Saskatchewan. Snowfalls will exceed ten inches in a number of areas with considerable drifting.

And, if this wasn't enough, there is a risk of tornadoes on Christmas day in Kansas and Oklahoma. This includes Wichita, Oklahoma City and Tulsa.
There is a slight risk of tornadoes in north central and northeast Texas as well as the Ozarks region of southwest Missouri. So, we'll have to keep an eye on that as later data comes in.

Tornadoes can occur any day of the year in the United States. On Christmas Day 2012, a tornado struck Mobile. Cars were literally falling out of the sky (watch the end of the video). So, I'll keep you updated on the flood (West), blizzard (northern Great Plains) and tornado threats (Central Great Plains) as we approach Christmas Day. Stay tuned!

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