…Coastal storm brings rain and snow showers to New England through New
Year’s Day…
…Long duration lake-effect snow event continues downwind of the Great
Lakes…
…Periods of locally heavy coastal rains and higher elevation snow
continue for much of the northwestern U.S….
…Coverage of frigid Winter temperatures begins to expand from the
Northern Plains into the Midwest…
A coastal storm off of New England will continue to bring some light to
moderate rain showers to the coast and accumulating snowfall to higher
elevations of the interior through the remainder of New Year’s Day. Winter
weather-related Advisories and Warnings are in place as snowfall totals of
5-10 inches are expected, with locally higher amounts over a foot
possible. Very blustery winds will also continue across much of the
Northeast as a whole, and may lead to some blowing snow where snowfall is
occurring. A favorable pattern for heavy lake-effect snow will also remain
in place in the Great Lakes over the next few days, particularly downwind
of Lakes Erie and Ontario. Storm total snowfall of 2-4 feet will be
possible for areas that see the most persistent lake-effect bands. Some
more moderate accumulations will also be possible in Michigan downwind of
Lakes Superior and Michigan. A quick moving system will lead to some light
wintry precipitation for portions of the Midwest Thursday before bringing
some more significant accumulating snowfall to the central Appalachians
Friday as well.
Moderate to heavy coastal rainfall, an interior wintry mix, and higher
elevation snow will continue across portions of the Pacific
Northwest/northern California and the northern Great Basin/Rockies through
this evening as a Pacific system passes through the region. An
accompanying upper-level shortwave will also drop southeastward through
the central Rockies bringing additional snow chances through the day
Thursday. Heavy accumulations of around 8-14 inches, locally higher, will
be possible for many of the areal mountain ranges. Rainfall on the coast
will be locally heavy as well, with the potential for some isolated
flooding for favorable upslope areas along the coastal ranges of
southwestern Oregon and northern California. Precipitation will taper off
through the evening and into the morning Thursday from west to east as the
system/upper-wave pass through before another system approaches the
Pacific Northwest into Thursday night. Additional locally heavy rainfall
and the potential for isolated flooding will remain possible for southern
Oregon/northern California through Friday. A renewed round of snow will
also come to the higher mountain elevations, particularly in the northern
Cascades.
Frigid Winter temperatures will increasingly become a bigger story heading
into January as a stagnant pattern featuring a strong upper-level low over
southeastern Canada/the northeastern U.S. settles in. These very cold,
below average for January temperatures have already come to the northern
Plains, where highs in the single digits and teens will be common and wind
chills will be below zero. Highs only in the teens and 20s expand into the
Midwest by Friday. Elsewhere, temperatures will be around or a bit below
average along the East Coast, with mainly 30s and 40s in the Northeast,
40s and 50s in the Carolinas, 50s in the Southeast, and 60s into Florida.
Much of the western and south-central U.S. will see much more mild, above
average temperatures to end the week, with highs in the 40s and 50s in the
Pacific Northwest and Interior West; the 50s and 60s in the southern
Plains and Rockies as well as California; and the 60s and 70s in the
Southwest.
Putnam
Graphics available at
https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php