Texas Panhandle faces 15 inches of snow, ‘historic’ blizzard

The National Weather Service says a “historic blizzard” could hit Amarillo, Lubbock and the Texas Panhandle, dumping up to 15 inches of snow on the area, and driving wind chills to ten-below zero.

A major winter storm will slam the southern Rockies and the southern Plains on Saturday and Sunday, the National Weather Service said.

“We’re just a mess here”, the sheriff said.

The worst-hit area will likely be the Texas Panhandle, where a crippling blizzard will produce 6 to 19 inches of snow with locally higher amounts.

I-40 was also closed for more than 200 miles in New Mexico as Goliath worsened travel conditions, and thousands lost power in the state as winds gusted above 80 mph.

On Saturday, the sheriff says they will need a lot of patience from everyone to deal with the impact of the weather conditions on the roads and to keep people safe. “Be prepared to stay put”.

The warning goes into effect at 6 p.m. Saturday through noon Monday.

If the precipitation lingers into late Sunday night and Monday morning, a few wet snowflakes could make a brief appearance, especially in west and northern sections of North Texas as the storm exits rapidly to the north into Oklahoma.

Parts of the state could get walloped with 5 to 10 inches of snow. Ice accumulations due to freezing rain of up to one-half of an inch are also possible.

The storm comes after widespread rain triggered flash flood watches across several states, including Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois and Indiana.

“Severe storms and heavy rain are possible in parts of the Gulf Coast region through the southern Plains to Ohio Valley on Saturday and Sunday, where flooding is possible”, the weather agency said.