…Winter storm to track from the central Plains to Mid-Mississippi Valley
today through tonight before impacting the southern Mid-Atlantic on
Wednesday with accumulating snow and areas of sleet/freezing rain…
…Record cold temperatures and dangerously cold wind chills to spill
further southward into the Plains with below average temperatures spanning
across much of the East…
…Next round of mountain snow and lower elevation rain expected to affect
the Pacific Northwest and northern Rockies Wednesday into Thursday…
As a large pool of arctic air continues to advance further south into the
mid-section of the country, the next weather maker is brewing over the
central/southern High Plains along a nearly stationary arctic boundary.
Widespread upslope snowfall across the northern Rockies into the High
Plains will begin to expand eastward as a low pressure wave develops along
the arctic front later today. With the support of a jet stream in the
upper levels, the snow will become more focused across eastern Oklahoma
into Arkansas and southern Missouri by this afternoon and into the
evening. There is a good chance of seeing 6 inches to locally a foot of
new snow by the time the snow tapers off Wednesday morning in these areas.
A swath of sleet/freezing rain can also be expected across the southern
portion of these states from this afternoon into tonight. The center of
the low pressure wave will track just off the Gulf Coast with rain and
even some embedded thunderstorms from eastern Texas into Louisiana through
tonight, and then across the rest of the Gulf Coast states and through the
Southeast including the northern half of Florida on Wednesday. Locally
heavy rain and isolated instances of flash flooding are possible along the
Gulf Coast. Meanwhile, accumulating snowfall will likewise spread
eastward across the Tennessee Valley and southern Appalachians on
Wednesday, moving into the Mid-Atlantic region by Wednesday evening.
Areas from the eastern Kentucky to southern West Virginia are expected to
receive 4 to 6+ inches of snow while southeastern Virginia/northeastern
North Carolina and possibly into the eastern shores could see 8+ inches.
Some sleet/ice can also be expected from the interior Deep South to
portions of the Carolinas. The low pressure system is forecast to
intensify rapidly as it tracks just off the Carolina coastline and then
off the East Coast Wednesday night into Thursday morning. The northern
Mid-Atlantic through New England is not expected to see any snow from this
system at all. Meanwhile, lake-effect snow will once again make its
presence known along the Snow Belt downwind from the Great Lakes.
With the frigid airmass’ continued southward plunge, temperatures dropping
well below zero are forecast from Montana and the Dakotas to the upper
Midwest and sections of the central Plains, with -30s near the Canadian
border for the next couple of mornings through Wednesday. Wind chills
will reach dangerously cold levels between -30 and -60 degrees in these
areas. High temperatures are forecast to only stay in the single digits
for the next couple of afternoons in the central Plains, setting numerous
cold high temperatures. By Thursday morning, the arctic air will reach
the Gulf Coast where temperatures are forecast to dip below freezing with
numerous low temperature records expected to be broken from the central
Plains southward to the Gulf Coast. Extreme Cold Warnings and Cold
Weather Advisories are currently span across the northern Plains and upper
Midwest down to central Texas. Be sure to dress in layers including a
hat, face mask, and gloves if you must go outside.
Elsewhere, heavy mountain snow and light lower elevation snow across the
northern Rockies through today will taper off as the next Pacific storm
system enters the Northwest early Wednesday. Unsettled weather associated
with the next Pacific system is forecast to reach the Pacific Northwest on
Wednesday. A compact low pressure system could be making landfall near
the Washington-Oregon border Wednesday night possibly bringing a period of
high winds and heavy rain into the vicinity and as far south as northern
California. The low is expected to quickly weaken overland while mountain
snow will spread farther inland across the northern Great Basin into the
northern Rockies by Thursday morning. The Southwest will remain dry
through the forecast period.
Kong
Graphics available at
https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php
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