A powerful low pressure system will spread winter, severe and rain hazards across western and central parts of the country.
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Tonight, heavy rain and snow impacts will come to an end over California, while tropical and subtropical moisture converge to spread snow over the Great Basin Intermountain West and Rockies.
This snow will continue while the low pressure system tracks across the Four Corners region on Friday.
The storm system will reorganize over the Central/Southern High Plains on Friday while it begins to tap moisture and instability from the Gulf of Mexico.
This moisture will interact with a prominent jet streak aloft and strong convergence at the surface along a cold front and dryline.
This combination may produce severe thunderstorms across Oklahoma/Texas and the Lower Mississippi Valley beginning in the late afternoon on Friday.
A Slight Risk (level 2/5) of Severe Thunderstorms is in effect for portions of South-Central Texas where large hail, tornadoes and strong wind gusts will be possible.
The focus for Heavy Rainfall and thunderstorms will shift into the Lower Mississippi Valley and central Gulf Coast on Saturday where the deep redeveloped low pressure system will move into.
As a result, a Slight Risk (level 2/4) of Excessive Rainfall is in effect for portions eastern Texas, southern Arkansas, Louisiana and southern Mississippi on Saturday.
An omega block ridge over the Central U.S. will support mild temperatures from the Great Plains to the East Coast through this weekend.
Portions of the Northern/Central Plains into the Upper/Middle Mississippi Valley will experience low temperatures from the upper 20s to low 50s through early next week, which may tie or break existing records.
Temperatures in the Southern Plains will moderate a bit beneath the deepening upper-level low on Saturday. ■
A clipper system will move quickly across the northern Plains into the Midwest Friday and the Northeast by Saturday, bringing a wintry mix of rain and snow showers ahead of a sweeping cold front.