An upper level disturbance over the western U.S. today will weaken as it translates eastward, to be followed by a stronger impulse to reach the West Coast this evening.
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A Pacific front will move across the western U.S. through Wednesday, bringing mountain snow and lower elevation rain, along with cooler than average temperatures.
Snowfall totals of 6-12 inches are expected into the higher terrain with totals over a foot likely for the highest elevations across the West into the northern and central Rockies.
Rain or a rain/snow mix can be expected for the lower elevations as the storm system advances south and east.
Low relative humidity and gusty winds have prompted Critical Risk fire weather concerns across a good portion of central Plains into the Texas Panhandle and a portion of eastern Wyoming through the rest of Monday.
A surface low will develop across the central High Plains on Tuesday, advancing eastward with time.
Dry conditions with gusty winds will shift fire weather concerns into the southern High Plains for Tuesday and Wednesday while precipitation develops northward during the day on Wednesday.
The departure of a strong surface low near Nova Scotia into the western Atlantic will allow for a gradual lowering of gusty winds across the northern Mid-Atlantic and Northeast through Tuesday.
Breezy conditions are likely to remain for northern New England into Tuesday night, but overall improvement is expected.
High pressure over the southern U.S. will slide eastward over the next couple of days, allowing winds to return from the south, bringing warmer temperatures northward.
The greatest departures from normal highs will remain over the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes region on Tuesday which may cause a few record daily maximum temperatures to be broken, but the magnitude of the anomalous warmth is likely to be lower on Tuesday compared to Monday.
High temperatures in the 60s to lower 70s will expand eastward through Wednesday across the Ohio Valley and portions of the northern Mid-Atlantic into the Northeast, roughly 15 to 25 degrees above mid-March averages.
With the warmer weather will come the threat for thunderstorms across portions of the central U.S.
Some severe thunderstorms will be possible ahead of a dryline from eastern Oklahoma/Kansas into western Missouri on Tuesday with a broader risk across some of these same areas on Wednesday. ■