Four things to know about Travel & RV Weather Saturday 18 March

Potentially dangerous, long-lived snow squall develops over Ohio this morning,then moves east to western New York and central Pennsylvania by evening. See write-up and animation below.
Some snow for the Big Bend region in Texas through Sunday morning.
Lake effect snow for parts of Michigan through tonight.
Rain and mountains snows return to California starting late tonight.

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Where does the California storm go next? Click here for the extended outlook (updates every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday)

Pacific:

— Northwest CA Trinity County above 4000 feet: Winter Weather Advisory tonight through Sunday afternoon. 2-6 inches snow likely. Gusts to 40 mph. This region is west of I-5.

— CA Sierra Nevada Mountains: Winter Storm Watches late tonight through Wednesday above 3500 feet. 4-15 inches snow, except 1-2 feet snow above 5000 feet. Gusts to 45 mph. Snow levels start at 5000-6000 feet, falling to 3500 feet by Monday afternoon. I-80, US-50 impacted.

— CA Coast from Santa Barbara northwards: Strong winds Sunday morning through midday. Gusts 30-45 mph. US-101, CA-1 impacted.

— Central and east-central NV: Flood Watches through Wednesday afternoon. Flooding caused by a combination of rain and snowmelt. US-6, US-50, US-93 impacted.

— Central and west-central NV: Strong winds Sunday. Gusts 30-45 mph. US-6, US-50, US-95 impacted.

Mountain:

— North-central MT: Dense Fog Advisories through midday today. I-15 impacted.

— South-central NM: Winter Weather Advisory tonight through Saturday morning. 1-3 inches snow possible. I-25 impacted.

— Southern AZ: Strong winds Sunday morning. Gusts 30-45 mph. I-10, I-19 impacted.

Central:

— Southwest TX Big Bend region: Winter Storm Warnings and Advisories through Sunday morning. Snow accumulations generally 1-3 inches, except in the mountains, where 4-8 inches of snow is possible. Wind gusts to 45 mph. I-10, I-10/I-20 split impacted.

— Central and northern MN; northern WI: Strong Winds Sunday midday through afternoon. Gusts 30-40 mph. I-35, I-94 impacted.

Eastern:

— MI Upper Peninsula: Winter Storm Warnings and Advisories continue today. Additional snow accumulations of 3-8 inches. Wind gusts to 45 mph. I-75, US-2, US-41, MI-28 impacted.

— Western coastal MI Lower Peninsula: Winter Weather Advisories through tonight. 2-4 inches lake affect snow possible. Wind gusts to 35 mph. I-75, I-94, I-196, US-31 impacted.

— North-central MI Lower Peninsula: Winter Storm Warning through this evening. 5-8 inches snow. Wind gusts to 35 mph. I-75 impacted.

— Northeast OH; northwest PA; western NY downwind of Lake Erie: Winter Weather Advisories for lake effect snow this afternoon through midday Sunday. Accumulations will generally be in the 3-6 inch range; heaviest accumulations in NY. Wind gusts 40-45 mph. I-77, I-79, I-80, I-86, I-90, NY Thruway, OH Turnpike impacted.

— Western NY downwind of Lake Ontario and most of Adirondack Mountains: Lake Effect Snow Warnings (favored snowbelt areas) and Advisories this afternoon through Sunday. Snow accumulations will range from 4-10 inches. Wind gusts 40-45 mph. I-81, I-87 impacted.

— Central OH; western and central PA; western NY: There continues to be indications of a brief but intense, long-lived snow squall, marking the leading edge of the arctic air, may set up later this morning western OH and move eastward into PA and NY by evening. This is far from a ‘sure-bet’, but if this happens, it will produce extremely dangerous conditions on the main highways and interstates. Drivers go from a normal day with dry roads almost instantly into near-zero visibility, and slick, snow-covered roads, often leading to mass multi-vehicle, fatal wrecks. Dangerous conditions will only last 15-20 minutes, but that’s all it takes to create chaos. If this comes to pass the National Weather Service will issue ‘Snow Squall Warnings’. If you are in a Snow Squall Warning, get off the highway if at all possible. I-71, I-75, I-76, I-77, I-79, I-80, I-81, I-86, I-90, I-99, NY Thruway, PA and OH Turnpikes potentially impacted.

Tornado safety information for RVers (what to do!):

Weather Safety Tips

Access to real-time road information:

Phone numbers and websites for road conditions in all 50 states. Courtesy of the Cheyenne WY Weather Forecast Office

Weather Hazards as of Saturday morning 18 March. Click on graphic for real-time update.
The dark blue line moving across OH, NY and PA is the snow squall that may be dangerous to travellers on the highways. Brief drop to near-zero visibility and suddenly slick roads.
Wind gusts this afternoon 18 March
Likelihood of winter weather impacting RV travel today 18 March (west)
Likelihood of winter weather impacting RV travel today 18 March (east)
Wind gusts Sunday afternoon 19 March
Likelihood of winter weather impacting RV travel Sunday 19 March (west)
Likelihood of winter weather impacting RV travel Sunday 19 March (east)
Wind gusts Monday afternoon 20 March
Likelihood of winter weather impacting RV travel Monday 20 March (west)
Likelihood of winter weather impacting RV travel Monday 20 March (east)
Total snowfall accumulation through Monday night 20 March
Total precipitation amounts through Monday night 20 March