The Nation’s Weather For Thursday

…Unsettled weather continues for the West with moderate to locally heavy
snowfall for many of the local mountain ranges…

…Wintry precipitation for the Northern Plains as shower/thunderstorm
chances increase for the Upper Midwest/Great Lakes Thursday, spreading
into the South Friday…

…Much above average temperatures to end the work week for most of the
central/eastern U.S., record warmth for some locations in the Great Lakes
and Mid-Atlantic…

An energetic, deep upper-level trough will remain over the West the next
couple of days, with a series of shortwaves and frontal systems keeping
precipitation chances up across the region. Most of the higher elevations
of the regional mountain ranges in the Rockies, Southwest, Great Basin,
and Northwest will see some moderate to locally heavy snowfall. The
heaviest snowfall will continue over the central Great Basin/Four Corners
region Thursday, with additional totals generally between 6-12″ expected,
and some locally higher amounts possible. Lower elevations/valleys will
see a mix of light to moderate rain and snow showers, though any snow
accumulations should remain limited. Light to moderate showers are also in
the forecast for the Pacific Northwest, along portions of coastal
California, and into the Desert Southwest. Fortunately, rainfall amounts
have come down, and despite the very wet antecedent conditions in
California and the Desert Southwest, chances for any additional flooding
look to be very low. Highs will remain below average under the influence
of the trough and ongoing precipitation, with highs in the 30s and 40s for
the Intermountain West, 40s and 50s for the Pacific Northwest/Northern
California, and 50s and 60s for Southern California and the Desert
Southwest.

To the east, a low pressure/frontal system will track northeastward across
the Northern Plains and through the Upper Midwest Thursday-Friday. Wintry
precipitation continues across portions of the Northern Plains as moist
southeasterly flow overrides colder air pushing southward east of the
Rockies. A light glaze of ice as well as an additional 1-3″ or so of snow
can be expected across eastern Montana and northern North Dakota, tapering
off from west to east through Thursday. Showers and some thunderstorms are
expected ahead of the system over the Upper Midwest/Great Lakes Thursday,
with chances decreasing into Friday as the system moves into Canada. A
stagnant flow pattern setting up south of the cold front and northwest of
ridging over the southeastern Atlantic will begin to funnel Gulf moisture
northward over portions of the Southern Plains, Lower Mississippi Valley,
and into the Tennessee/Ohio Valleys, with increasing shower and
thunderstorm chances Friday into early Saturday morning.

High temperatures will remain well above average broadly across
central/eastern portions of the country, with the greatest anomalies
centered over the Midwest. Forecast highs in the 40s and 50s for the Upper
Midwest/Great Lakes and 60s for the Middle Mississippi Valley are upwards
of 25-35 degrees above average. Higher anomalies will also shift into the
Northeast with 30s and 40s for New England and 40s, 50s, and even some 60s
for the Mid-Atlantic. Some record-tying/breaking high temperatures will be
possible from the Great Lakes to the Mid-Atlantic. Further South, highs
will generally be in the 60s and 70s from the Southern Plains into the
Southeast.

TODAY’S MAP

TOMORROW’S MAP