An active weather pattern looks to continue for the foreseeable futures as a series of systems follow an energetic jet stream eastward from the West Coast through the South and up the East Coast.
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An upper-level trough/surface low pressure system currently passing through the Four Corners region Thursday morning will move eastward towards the Southern Plains through the day, encouraging moist Gulf return flow northward ahead of the system which will contribute to areas of snow and a wintry mix in the cooler air along and to the north of the surface low track.
Moderate to heavy snow will continue for higher elevations of the San Juan and Sangre de Cristo Mountains of southern Colorado/northern New Mexico, with accumulations of around 5-10", locally higher, anticipated.
Snowfall will also begin for lower elevations east of the mountains along the Central and Southern High Plains by Thursday afternoon.
Snowfall totals generally between 2-4" are expected for portions of northeastern New Mexico, southeastern Colorado, southwestern Kansas, and the western Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles.
Adjacent areas of Kansas and northern Oklahoma will likely see a wintry mix of rain and some snow, with some light accumulations possible.
Showers and thunderstorms will begin in the warm air southeast of the low track across Texas and into southern Oklahoma late Thursday afternoon and into Thursday night.
As the upper-level trough approaches the western Gulf of Mexico, a second area of low pressure will develop, organizing and strengthening into the primary surface low pressure/frontal system and traversing eastward just to the south of the Gulf Coast.
Further enhanced southerly, moist flow overrunning a frontal boundary along the Gulf Coast will lead to more widespread shower and thunderstorms producing moderate to locally heavy rainfall, from the western Gulf overnight Thursday and along the central Gulf Coast and into the Southeast Friday.
Some isolated instances of flash flooding will be possible.
The low pressure system will continue northeastward up the East Coast with rainfall and winter weather-related impacts expected through the Carolinas, Mid-Atlantic, and New England this weekend just beyond the current forecast period.
Some light freezing rain accumulations may begin as early as Saturday morning along and just to the east of the southern Appalachians from northeast Georgia through the Carolinas and into southwestern Virginia where warm, moist air begins to override an area of shallow cold air damming along the mountains.
Upstream over the West, a Pacific storm system moving onshore the Pacific Northwest Thursday morning will bring lower elevation/coastal rain, high elevation mountain snow, and a wintry mix to interior valley locations through the day.
Precipitation will spread inland across portions of the Great Basin and Northern Rockies as well.
A second system will quickly follow on the heels of the first late in the day Friday, bringing additional precipitation chances and the potential for even heavier snowfall in the Cascades.
Any snow accumulations at lower elevations should be limited, but the mountain ranges in the Great Basin and Northern Rockies as well as southern portions of the Cascades can expect to see between 4-8", locally a foot, over the next couple of days.
The northern Cascades and Olympic Mountains could see as much as 1-2 feet.
Elsewhere, some light snow showers are possible for the Interior Northeast Thursday following a frontal passage.
Enough moisture will be in place for some light to moderate snow showers with a clipper-like low pressure system dropping southeastward from Canada into the Northern Plains and the Upper Midwest/Great Lakes Friday afternoon.
High temperatures continue to be running a bit below average from California eastward along the southern half of the county as the active storm pattern and repeated frontal passages keep temperatures down.
Although we are fully into Winter, portions of the Southeast/Florida and Desert Southwest will remain relatively cool by local standards with highs generally in the 50s.
In contrast, highs will be above average along the northern tier of the country generally away from the active weather. ■