Bill Karins, Meteorologist

A classic spring storm will bring tornadoes and heavy snow to the middle of the nation

Headlines:
1) Large, very dangerous tornadoes are expected Thursday afternoon
2) Up to a foot of snow with near blizzard conditions are expected from South Dakota through Northern Minnesota
3) Heavy rain in Oklahoma, Missouri and Illinois will lead to flash flooding

We will be covering a dangerous storm during the next three days. This is your classic spring storm that will have it all (tornadoes, flooding and heavy snow).

The highlight of the storm will be Thursday afternoon and evening with supercell thunderstorms producing what looks to be a significant tornado outbreak.

The area at greatest risk of large, long-track tornadoes will be from Little Rock to St. Louis. The other highlight of the storm will occur Thursday night and Friday across the Northern Plains where heavy snow and gusty winds will produce blizzard or near blizzard conditions.

The areas I expect to see the heaviest snow (6-12") will be from Sioux Falls, SD to Duluth, MN. Denver and Minneapolis will also see snow, but not as heavy (3-6").

The last concern with this storm will be flooding. As of now, I don't foresee any major river flooding but flash flooding will be widespread. The areas at greatest risk for flash flooding will be from Oklahoma City to St. Louis and up to Chicago Thursday night.

Here is a break down of what areas will be impacted and when:

Thursday:
Denver (Light snow ending 3-6" total)
Little Rock (tornadoes nearby, widespread wind damage)
St. Louis (tornadoes nearby, widespread wind damage)
Chicago (possible wind damage with flash flooding nearby)

Thursday Overnight:
Memphis (tornadoes possible nearby, widespread wind damage)
Sioux Falls (Rain going over to heavy snow 3-6")
Minneapolis (Rain to snow 1-3")
Duluth (Snow begins 1-3")

Friday:
Sioux Falls (snow and blowing snow 8-12" total)
Minneapolis (light snow 3-6" total)
Duluth (blizzard conditions 8-12" total)
Nashville (wind damage possible nearby)