Blizzards for the Rockies could mean tornadoes in Alabama

Much of the central United States from the Rocky Mountains to the Midwest is bracing for blizzard-like conditions. Alabama is among the southern states watching for tornado warnings from the same massive storm blowing across the country. Farther south, tornadoes, strong winds, hail and flash flooding were expected Tuesday with eastern Texas, much of Louisiana and western Mississippi at greatest risk for severe storms. Early Tuesday, tornado warnings were issued in parts of central Oklahoma and north Texas. The severe weather threat continues into the week for Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle, according to the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma. An area stretching from Montana into western Nebraska and Colorado was under blizzard warnings. The National Weather Service said that as much as two feet of snow was possible in some areas of western South Dakota and northwestern Nebraska. Meanwhile, ice and sleet were expected in the eastern Great Plains. Emergency Managers in South Dakota are calling the system a “we are not kidding kind of storm.”