…Impacts continue from the historic winter storm along the Gulf Coast
and Southeast…
…Dangerously cold temperatures and wind chill values will linger for
much of the South and eastern U.S….
…Critical Risk of Fire Weather for Southern California through
Thursday…
Precipitation from a historic winter storm will continue through Wednesday
morning for the Gulf Coast and Southeast with areas of heavy snow, sleet,
and freezing rain expected from northern Florida northeast to the North
Carolina Outer Banks. Major highway and air traffic disruptions, including
road closures and flight cancellations, remain a concern, including for
areas further west along the Gulf Coast where snow has already come to an
end. These travel impacts may linger for several days given the historic
heavy accumulations combined with frigid temperatures, as well as the lack
of equipment for clearing roads compared to areas further north more
accustomed to this amount of snowfall.
Frigid temperatures remain in place more broadly from the Rockies to the
East Coast. Forecast highs Wednesday generally range from the teens and
20s for the Midwest and the Northeast, the 20s and 30s in the Rockies, and
the 30s and 40s from the central/southern Plains east through the
Southeast. Wind chills of 20 to 30 degrees below zero are forecast at
times across the Upper Midwest and Northeast. Sub-zero wind chills will
continue from the central Plains eastward across the Ohio Valley and
northern Mid-Atlantic. Any power outages across the Gulf Coast and
Southeast due to the winter storm will exacerbate the threat from the cold
for these areas. A slow recovery is expected Thursday as high temperatures
rise around 5-10 degrees. The Northern Plains/Upper Midwest will see more
seasonable temperatures Wednesday with highs into the 20s and 30s before a
cold front passage drops temperatures back into the teens and 20s
Thursday.
Precipitation-wise, a clipper system and accompanying cold front sweeping
through the northern Rockies/Plains and Upper Midwest/Great Lakes will
bring some snow showers Wednesday into Wednesday night. These snow showers
will spread into the Interior Northeast and Appalachians on Thursday as
the system continues east. Some locally heavier totals will be possible
for favorable lake-effect locations downwind of the Great Lakes as the
system moves through and with cold, northwesterly flow in place. Another
clipper system dropping southward will bring a renewed chance for snow
showers to the northern Rockies/Plains Thursday night.
In the West, the Storm Prediction Center continues a Critical Risk of Fire
Weather (level 2/3) for southern California Wednesday into Thursday as
very strong offshore winds persist and humidity values remain very low.
Temperature-wise, conditions will be generally at or above Winter averages
and mild in comparison to the East. Forecast highs range from the 30s and
40s for the Interior West, the 40s and 50s in the Pacific Northwest, and
the 60s and 70s in California and the Desert Southwest. Morning low
temperatures will remain a bit chilly, however, with frost and freeze
related concerns for the more sensitive areas of the Desert Southwest and
California Valleys as temperatures drop into the 30s.
Putnam
Graphics available at
https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php
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