Another taste of winter to sweep across Rockies, central U.S.

Just as communities across the central United States were starting to feel like spring, another dose of winter is expected to sweep through the region this week.

The warmth that began across much of the Rockies and Plains on Sunday is expected to spill over into Monday. Temperatures in Denver on Monday are forecast to near the 80-degree mark, while cities like Rapid City, S.D., and Tulsa, Okla., will be in the 70s.

Not only are these temperatures above normal for late March, but in some communities the afternoon high on Monday could near-record levels.

However, as the week progresses, this mild surge will shift to the south and east as a potent storm is forecast to bring weather whiplash for many across the center of the country.

The same storm that is anticipated to bring rain to parched portions of California is expected to push through the Rockies and into the Plains Monday night and Tuesday.

"This storm will spread a late taste of winter from the Rockies through the upper Midwest," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Randy Adkins.

Chilly air will sweep in as the jet stream dives southward across the western United States allowing for the higher elevations of Colorado, Wyoming and Utah to have snow flakes on Tuesday.

"Snow levels may drop as low as 5,000 feet across parts of Wyoming on Tuesday night, but will be much higher in Colorado, more like 8,000 feet," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Alex DaSilva.

At the same time, this storm will be streaking into the central Plains and spreading both rain and snow across Nebraska, North and South Dakota and Minnesota by the end of the day.

Snow is expected to start accumulating across parts of Saskatchewan and Manitoba in Canada on Tuesday, but is likely to reach the Dakotas as cold air pours into the northern Plains Tuesday night. The snow is forecast to continue spreading eastward as the storm strengthens over the Midwest and Great Lakes through Thursday.

The heaviest snow is expected across northern Minnesota and into Ontario, Canada, where 12-18 inches of snow can accumulate and an AccuWeather Local StormMax of 25 inches is possible.

"With this storm, accumulating snow is once again expected for Minneapolis by Wednesday night," Adkins said.

Adkins also noted that snow across this portion of the country isn't unheard of in early spring. In fact, the Twin Cities average just over 2 inches of snow during the month of April.

Gusty winds are also forecast to accompany the storm, bringing a brisk, northerly wind into the portions of the Upper Midwest, especially late Wednesday through Thursday. The burst of stronger winds could lead to blowing snow and a more wintry feel for those out and about in the storm.

While snow will be sweeping from the Rockies into the Upper Midwest, severe weather is also expected to spread across the southern U.S., threatening more damaging thunderstorms from Oklahoma and Texas to Tennessee and Alabama.

Behind these threats, a widespread change in temperature is also expected.

On Wednesday, noticeably cooler conditions are expected to span from South Dakota all the way into western Texas.

A high in the upper 70s in Amarillo, Texas, and Kansas City, on Tuesday will be replaced with a high in the middle 50s on Wednesday. Normal high temperatures for these cities for the end of March are in the upper and lower 60s, respectively.