…Snow with some moderate accumulations expected through the
Northern/Central Rockies and adjacent High Plains…
…Arctic front begins to bring hazardous cold to much of the nation this
weekend…
… Impacts from winter storms are likely over the Northeast and
Mid-Atlantic Sunday and Monday and possible across the Deep South this
week…
Surface analysis shows a reinforcing Arctic frontal boundary moving
southward across the northern Plains and entering the Midwest. Another
leading frontal boundary of the cold air is located over the northern
Rockies and Midwest. A mid level shortwave is located over the
south-central U.S. with a surface low also forming in the region. Showers
are ongoing from Oklahoma southward to Louisiana with this disturbance and
some general thunderstorms cannot be ruled out. High pressure dominates
the southeast U.S..
Some locations in the inter-mountain west and Rockies, particularly high
terrain and mountain ranges, have Winter Weather Advisories active for the
remainder of Friday into Saturday with the threat of several inches of
snow accumulation and gusty winds as the Arctic front moves through.
Travel could be difficult at times. Some particularly tough travel
conditions are ongoing over the northern Plains in North Dakota where a
Blizzard Warning is active through this evening for snow squalls and
blowing snow. This cold front will continue its passage southeastward and
bring chances for light snowfall totals and rain showers across the Great
Lakes and Ohio Valley. More moderate totals are expected where
post-frontal flow across the Great Lakes will lead to some lake-effect
snow showers for favorable downwind locations, especially along the Upper
Peninsula of Michigan and east of Lake Ontario.
This sweeping cold front is ushering in a frigid Arctic airmass that will
be one of the main national weather stories this weekend and into the next
week. Temperatures will plunge by 30-40 degrees this weekend behind the
front. Forecast highs this weekend will have many residents in the
northern Plains in the negative single digits and areas in the Midwest in
the single digits. Minimum wind chills could be in the -30 to -55 range.
This possesses a threat for hypothermia and frostbite; safety precautions
for the cold should be taken. Highs in the 30s and 40s are likely in the
Southern Plains/northern Texas with lows in the 20s and teens and wind
chills below zero. Conditions will be at or above average ahead of the
front along the East Coast and the Southeast through Saturday, with highs
the next couple of days in the 30s and 40s for the Northeast, the 40s and
50s from the Ohio Valley east through the Carolinas, and the 60s and low
70s for the Southeast.
An area of low pressure is expected to develop along the leading edge of
the Arctic front in the vicinity of the Mid-Atlantic and move
northeastward near the Northeast corridor. Cold air will be in place, so
expectations are for precipitation with this stem to be in the form of
snow. Sunday through Morning morning have high probabilities of at least
minor to moderate snow impacts from the Appalachains though Maine. The
current expectation is for the metropolitan corridor from Washington D.C
to Boston to see 3-6 inches of snowfall possible. Areas west of the 95
corridor could see higher amounts with expectations of 5-10 inches
possible and locally higher max amounts possible. After the
snow,temperatures will be cold as highs are 15-25 degrees below normal for
this time of the year. Outside of the short range period, early next week
there is increasing confidence for winter weather impacts for the South.
See key message on the WPC website for early information.
Elsewhere, northern Florida is under a Marginal Risk for Excessive
Rainfall on Saturday and early Sunday with the potential for some locally
heavy thunderstorms that may train along some frontal boundaries near the
region.
Wilder
Graphics available at
https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php
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