…Heavy rain, severe weather, and flash flooding possible from the
southern Plains to the Mid/Lower Mississippi and Lower Ohio Valleys
today…
…Widespread precipitation, including heavy mountain snow, to return to
the Northwest, northern California, and the northern Rockies…
A low pressure system will move across the south-Central U.S. today then
track towards the East and Northeast on Friday. Southerly winds will bring
warm moist air up from the Gulf, fueling widespread showers and
thunderstorms across the southern Plains and Mississippi Valley.
Conditions will be favorable for some strong to severe thunderstorms from
East Texas through the Lower Mississippi Valley today, and potential
severe storm hazards could include damaging winds, hail, and perhaps a
tornado or two. In addition to the severe weather threat, heavy rainfall
will have to potential to cause isolated to scattered instances of flash
flooding from East Texas through the Mississippi Valley to the Lower Ohio
Valley today. While thunderstorms impact the south-Central U.S., cold air
on the backside of the low pressure system will support wintry weather
across New Mexico and Colorado, with heavy snow potential in the higher
terrain.
The low pressure system will move towards the East and Northeast on Friday
while weakening, and precipitation chances will increase for most areas
east of the Mississippi River. The severe threat will shift east on Friday
as well, moving into the central/eastern Gulf Coast region where a few
strong storms will be possible. Late Friday, moisture from the system
should spread into the Northeast where it will interact with a cold front
sagging south into the region, producing wintry weather across the eastern
Great Lakes and Northeast. Accumulating snowfall is expected to be
limited, with only minor accumulations across New England. The system will
exit off the East Coast by Saturday morning, and dry conditions will
return.
For the West, dry weather will persist until a frontal system approaches
the West Coast late today. This system will push into the Northwest on
Friday, then another front will follow close on its heels late Friday into
Saturday. Widespread precipitation is expected across the Northwest,
northern California, and the northern Rockies. Heavy rain along the coast
will result in heightened flooding concerns, especially in and around
steep terrain. Inland, heavy snow is expected in the Olympics, Cascades,
northern Rockies, and potentially into portions of the Sierra Nevada.
Temperatures will be well above average for most of the Central and
Eastern U.S. through the end of the week, with the exception of the
Northeast where cold air will settle in behind a cold front. The warmest
anomalies are forecast to be in the Upper Midwest where high temperatures
in the upper 40s and lower 50s may rival a handful of daily temperature
records today. Elsewhere, temperatures will be near normal for much of the
West, but below average temperatures will linger in the Southwest today
and may develop along the West Coast from Washington to northern
California Friday and Saturday.
Dolan
Graphics available at
https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php
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