An increasingly wet weather pattern forecast to develop Thursday night and continue through Saturday along the coastal Mid-Atlantic, into southern New York State and southern New England.
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An area of surface low pressure that has been spinning off the Mid-Atlantic coast over the past few days will begin to push slowly northward along the Mid-Atlantic coast and toward southern New England over the next few days.
This low will be spreading areas of rain inland across New Jersey, southern New York and southern New England late Thursday afternoon into this evening.
This rain is expected to intensify, becoming heavy at times Thursday night/early Friday and continue so through Friday and Saturday.
The overall slow movement of the low will bring the potential for several rounds of heavy rains to affect New Jersey, southern New York State and southern New England, increasing the flash flood threat, especially in urbanized areas.
The recent wet weather pattern over portions of Florida will continue for the next few days as the overall pattern supporting these rains is not expected to change appreciably.
Above average moisture values will continue to be transported northeastward on the eastern side of an upper level trof that remains across the eastern Gulf of Mexico and along a stationary front forecast to remain across the mid section of the peninsula.
This pattern will continue to support locally heavy rainfall amounts, with isolated flash flooding possible, especially where heavy rains fall across urbanized regions.
Big temperature contrast will continue from the west coast into the middle section of the nation over the next few days.
An amplifying upper trof along the west coast will help propel a strong cold front eastward Friday into Saturday across California and into the Great Basin.
The much below average temperatures across portions of the Pacific Northwest and Northern Rockies Thursday and Friday are expected to expand south across California and the Great Basin on Saturday.
There will be a broad area from California into the Great Basin that will see high temperatures 15 to 20 degrees colder than average on Saturday.
There will be potential for record low high temperatures on Saturday from in the vicinity of Los Angeles, south to San Diego and inland across portions of the San Joaquin Valley.
This below average temperature pattern will continue into early next week before temperatures begin to warm by Tuesday and Wednesday.
In addition to the strong front bringing below average temperatures to large portions of the West, precipitation will be spreading southeastward across California and into the Great Basin on Saturday.
While precipitation totals are not expected to be heavy, the cooler temperatures may produce snows across portions of the higher elevations of the central to southern Sierra.
In contrast to the cool western U.S. temperatures, summer like temperatures will persist across a large portion of the Lower 48 from the Southwest, through the Southern to Central Rockies, the Plains, Mississippi Valley, Ohio Valley and Gulf coastal states.
There will be the potential for some record high maximum temperatures both Friday and Saturday across portions of the Central to Southern Plains and western to central Gulf coast.
Across much of these regions, high temperatures are forecast into the 90s going into this weekend and will likely remain so into at least early next week. ■