Heavy snow is ongoing across portions of the Central High Plains and will spread northeastward through the Plains and into the Upper Midwest during the day Wednesday as a low pressure system tracks through the region.
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Snowfall totals through Thursday will generally be between 4-8 inches, with locally higher amounts.
The highest probability for some heavier snow totals over a foot will be from northeastern Colorado into central and northeastern Nebraska.
Sleet and freezing rain are also expected to mix in with the snow to the southeast of the heavy snow axis.
Areas from northern Kansas northeastward through southeastern Nebraska, southern Iowa, and into southern Wisconsin currently have the greatest chance of seeing some light accumulations of freezing rain of around 0.1-0.2".
Gusty winds upwards of 35 mph may also lead to some areas of blowing snow, particularity for the Central High Plains.
The snow should begin to taper off by late Wednesday for the Central Plains while continuing through the day Thursday for the Upper Midwest.
To the Southeast, showers and thunderstorms are forecast to develop along and ahead of a trailing cold front pushing through the Southern Plains and into the Mississippi, Ohio, and Tennessee Valleys on Wednesday.
Anomalously high moisture from the Gulf will push northward along the front, helping to fuel some localized heavier downpours.
There is a Slight Risk of Excessive Rainfall (level 2/4) for portions of the Lower Mississippi and Lower Ohio Valleys where these downpours, as well as a tendency for storms to reside over areas for a longer duration as they move parallel to the front, may lead to a few scattered instances of flash flooding.
The Storm Prediction Center has also issued a Slight Risk for severe weather (level 2/5) over the same general region as strong shear may lead to a few embedded organized storms/linear storm segments with the risk of damaging winds and a couple tornadoes.
Precipitation chances will increase for the East Coast as the storm system moves into the Northeast on Thursday, amplified by a deepening low pressure center over the coastal Atlantic.
A wintry mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain is expected for the Interior Northeast where temperatures will remain colder.
Snow accumulations of 2-4 inches, locally higher, are forecast for higher elevations of Upstate New York/New England through Friday morning, with the snow likely continuing into the day Friday.
Further south, light to moderate rain showers will push through coastal New England, the Mid-Atlantic, and the Appalachians.
The heaviest showers are most likely for coastal New York and New England near the intensifying low pressure over the Atlantic.
The southerly flow ahead of the cold front will also lead to unseasonably warm temperatures upwards of 15 to 20 degrees above average for much of the southern U.S. Wednesday and Thursday.
Highs will be in the 60s Wednesday from Oklahoma east through the Lower Ohio Valley, the Tennessee Valley, and into the southern Mid-Atlantic, with 70s from Texas east through the Lower Mississippi Valley, Southeast, and Florida.
While temperatures will cool Thursday for much of the Southern Plains following the passage of the cold front, the warm temperatures will spread further northeastward with 60s pushing northwards into the Upper Ohio Valley and 70s into the Carolinas.
A few record-tying/record-breaking high temperatures will even be possible for locations in the coastal Southeast/Carolinas.
Unfortunately, the warm, dry conditions combined with strong, gusty winds following the cold front pushing through the Southern High Plains have prompted the Storm Prediction Center to issue a Critical Fire Weather Outlook for portions of central and western Texas Wednesday.
Another storm system is forecast to move southeastward through the Pacific Northwest Wednesday and into the Northern Rockies, the Great Basin, California, and the Desert Southwest late Wednesday into Thursday, bringing light to moderate coastal rain and mountain snow.
A wintry mix of rain and snow is expected for lower elevation interior valleys, though any accumulations should remain light.
Heavier mountain snow will be possible for the Cascades, Sierra, and mountain ranges of the Great Basin, with the highest totals of over a foot possible for the Sierra. ■