First fall storm drops snow on Colorado Rockies, sparks flooding concerns in the Plains

DENVER – Right on time, the first fall storm of the season will bring cooler temperatures and crisper air to the Central U.S. after a dusting of snow in the Colorado Rockies over the weekend. Astronomical fall started on Sunday, the morning after higher elevations in the Colorado Rockies saw a taste of winter weather waking to snowcapped mountain tops. About an hour west of Denver, the Arapahoe Basin Ski Area picked up about 2 inches of fresh snow by Sunday, a welcome sight for Colorado Ski Country. The National Weather Service in Boulder, Colorado issued Winter Weather Advisories for locations over 10,000 feet where snow totals were forecast to reach up to 8 inches. The alerts expired on Sunday afternoon for the Rockies as the snow tapered off, setting up for a cooler, wet week ahead across the Plains and Midwest.HERE’S WHAT THE WEATHER LOOKS LIKE FOR THE FIRST WEEK OF FALL”The thing that makes this a fall storm, obviously, the snow aspect of it, and then also the huge temperature cool down that we anticipate as well,” FOX Weather Meteorologist Nick Kosir said.FALL FOLIAGE TRACKER: WHERE AND WHEN TO SEE THE MOST BRILLIANT COLORS ACROSS THE USThe beginning of fall marks the start of the second severe weather season in the U.S.On Monday, a low-pressure system moving east will bring rain from the Plains through the Midwest, potentially causing severe storms, including hail and damaging winds. Cities, including St. Louis and Little Rock, are forecast to see widespread rain on Monday, with gusty winds at times. Two to three inches of rain could fall, causing localized flooding. Isolated strong to severe thunderstorms are possible on Monday for parts of the Ozarks and into the Tennessee and Ohio valleys. NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center highlighted a level 1 out of 5 risk for severe thunderstorms for cities including Nashville and Knoxville in Tennessee, Louisville and Lexington in Kentucky and Little Rock. Cooler “fall-like” temperatures will create 30-degree differences between Sunday’s highs and what cities feel by Monday and Tuesday.Memphis is forecast to have temperatures in the 90s on Sunday but the front will knock temperatures into the 60s and 70s early this week. Similarly, Tulsa had a high near 80 on Sunday but is forecast to drop into the 70s early this week.