‘Historic’ Blizzard in Forecast for Panhandle

The National Weather Service says Saturday that widespread rain from four to 11 inches are forecast over the weekend in the area, and those accumulations are capable of flooding rivers and creeks. The wet weather will continue into Sunday night and Monday morning, when temperatures will dip into the low 30s. “This looks like a strong winter storm”.

Snowfall totals were hard to measure with sustained winds at 30 to 45 miles per hour and gusts as high as 67 miles per hour.

DPS discourages any travel due to hazardous road conditions.

According to the National Weather Service, damaging winds and hail present the primary hazards, but an isolated tornado can not be ruled out.

The central US braced for a storm system forecast to bring everything from blizzard conditions to the threat of tornadoes Saturday as the South tried to recover from severe weather that hammered the region for days.

Severe thunderstorms and heavy rain are likely in eastern Oklahoma, Arkansas, north-central Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana from Saturday to Sunday, with more flooding is possible, according to the National Weather Service.

A powerful arctic cold front will blast into the area Saturday morning with temps falling into the 20s by the afternoon hours.

Travel will likely become impossible from northwest Oklahoma through the Texas Panhandle and extending southwest into southeastern New Mexico during the day Sunday. Albuquerque, Amarillo and Lubbock, Texas, are all in the potential blizzard zone, with more than a foot of snow is expected.