AccuWeather.com reports a major snowstorm will grind to the south and east across the Rockies and central and southern Plains through the first part of the weekend impacting travel and daily activities for many in the region with up to 12 inches possible in the Tulsa area.

A bull’s-eye of heavy snow will likely target part of the Ozark Mountains.  Areas just to the south and east of Kansas City and Tulsa could get clobbered with a foot of back-breaking, wet snow that could down trees and power lines.

Winds gusting past 30 mph will also create blowing and drifting of snow. This will add to the hazardous travel conditions over much of the region.  Visitors and residents of these areas should still keep brushes handy to clear off cars and allow extra time to travel.

Motorists will run into slow and slippery travel along Interstates 25, 35 40, 70, 76, and 80. This includes in areas where rain will fall before a changeover to snow.  In fact, roadway conditions will rapidly deteriorate.

Airline passengers, including those flying into or out of Denver, should expect lengthy flight delays and cancellations. Ripple effect flight delays will likely occur at other airports across the nation as a result. Significant flight impacts are possible at Chicago and St. Louis.

Temperatures will plummet behind the storm. The high in Denver will be about 40 degrees lower today than it was on Thursday.  In Oklahoma City, the high will reach well into the 60s today before only climbing into the 30s on Saturday.

Meanwhile, on the southern and warmer side of the storm, some violent thunderstorms will erupt from Texas to the central Gulf Coast.