Blizzard may drop 2 feet of snow

Old Man Winter isn’t giving up without a fight.

A potent storm is expected to bring blizzard conditions to portions of the northern Plains and Upper Midwest this week, where some spots could see as much as 2 feet of snow, according to the National Weather Service.

The storm will get started Tuesday, and snow is likely over much of the northern Rockies by the evening. It will pick up in intensity as it moves into the central USA by Wednesday and into Thursday.

In much of the region, travel “may become difficult to impossible,” the weather service warned. “Road closures are possible, potentially including along stretches of Interstates 29, 80 and 90,” the Weather Channel said.

The heaviest snow will be in Nebraska, South Dakota and Minnesota, according to weathermodels.com meteorologist Ryan Maue. Blizzard warnings probably will be issued in those states.

Minneapolis/St. Paul will be the largest metro area in the path of the snowstorm. The weather service in Minnesota said snow may be heavy at times: as much as 2 inches of snow per hour.

Snowfall in the Twin Cities in April isn’t unheard of: The area got 13.8 inches on a single day in April 1983.

Winds will howl as the storm cranks up, and gusts could hit 40-60 mph. The strongest winds will whip through the central and southern Plains, AccuWeather said.

Wild temperature drops will bring weather whiplash: After a high near 80 degrees Tuesday in Denver, the low late Wednesday will be in the 20s with wind chills in the teens.