Texas Storms: Blizzards and Tornadoes

Minneapolis, MN KMSP - It has been one crazy run of weather across the country. The eastern states have seen record warmth and the western states have had quite the winter. Those two air masses are separated by a trough that runs right down the middle of the country. This separation of hot and cold has been most dramatic in Texas, where there seems to be some sort of an identity crisis when it comes to winter and spring.

A large area of low pressure is riding this temperature gradient and has resulted in some extreme weather. The warm moist air on the eastern side has trigger severe weather outbreaks, including tornadoes. The cold air on the western side has been whipping up one heck of a blizzard.

DALLAS TORNADOES

The video above shows the scary side of this system. On Saturday, at least 11 tornadoes roared through the Dallas area. The hardest hit area seems to be Garland, TX where an EF-4 tornado struck with winds up to 200 mph.

LUBBOCK BLIZZARD

The cold side of this system brought in lots of cold air and wind resulting in blizzard conditions for most of the Texas Panhandle on Saturday and Sunday. Snow amounts well over a foot combined with strong winds to produce drift of up to 4 feet in some areas.

MIDWESTERN SNOWSTORM

On Sunday, the storm system responsible for the extreme weather in Texas will take aim on the Upper Mid-West. Don't look for the extreme temperature differences here, such as in Texas. The exact path of the system will produce some temperature variations here in the Upper Midwest. However, that temperature fluctuation will only amount to differences in snow totals for Minnesota and Wisconsin.