Little to no precipitation is expected for most of the country as we ring in 2024 tonight and head through New Year's Day, and temperatures for this time of the year will be rather mild for many areas given the current pattern that is in place.
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Much of the cold air that could be coming south into the nation this time of the year remains focused well to the north across Canada, and this will continue to result in a lack of wintry weather going into the start of 2024.
Over the next couple of days, temperatures will be as much as 10 to 20 degrees above average for portions of the Intermountain West, Northern Plains, Upper Midwest, and the Great Lakes.
Relatively cooler temperatures though will be noted across areas of the Ohio Valley, Mid-South and the Southern Plains in behind a cold front that will be traversing this region.
A weak clipper-type low center attached to this cold front will be crossing parts of the Upper Ohio Valley and heading through the Central Appalachians through tonight, and then the Mid-Atlantic region on New Year's Day.
Just enough cold air will be in place for this weak system to produce a light wintry mix, and some accumulating snowfall is expected across mainly the higher terrain of the Central Appalachians where a few inches of snow is expected.
By late Tuesday, the pattern will begin to gradually become more active as two separate storm systems begin to impact the country.
One will be across California as a Pacific cold front offshore approaches the region and begins to bring in a new surge of moisture along with an axis of moderate to locally heavy rain.
The second area of interest will across parts of the South, with an emphasis on the western Gulf Coast region and Lower Mississippi Valley, as low pressure organizing near the Lower Rio Grande Valley begins to tap into Gulf moisture which will allow for areas of moderate to locally heavy rain, possibly a few thunderstorms, to develop and begin lifting northeast across the region. ■