The stagnant upper-level low and coastal storm system that have brought days of onshore flow and widespread heavy rainfall totals, breezy winds, coastal flooding, and overall cool, dreary weather to the Mid-Atlantic and southern New England will finally begin to push eastward over the open Atlantic Wednesday.
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Rain chances across the Mid-Atlantic should continue to subside throughout the day, while lingering a bit longer for southern New England as the coastal system passes by on its way eastward.
Another half inch of rain or so will be possible through Thursday morning before the rain ends.
Highs Wednesday will still be below normal as widespread cloudiness keeps temperatures down before clearing out as the system moves away, with low to mid-60s expected along the I-95 corridor from New England south to North Carolina.
Additionally, cool, dry air pushing south on the west side of the system will bring chilly morning lows to the Southeast Thursday morning, with some locations from the Tennessee Valley south into Alabama and Georgia dipping into the mid-40s.
Temperatures across the East Coast rebound on Thursday into the low to mid-70s for the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic and upper 70s to low 80s for the Carolinas, Southeast, and Florida.
Mostly pleasant weather is expected across most of the Plains and Midwest Wednesday as temperatures remain above average.
Forecast highs range from the upper 60s to mid-70s for the Northern Plains, Upper Mississippi Valley, and Great Lakes Region; mid-70s to low 80s for the Central Plains and Middle and Lower Mississippi Valley; and upper 80s to 90 degrees for the Southern Plains.
A few showers and thunderstorms are possible for the Middle Missouri to Upper Mississippi Valley region as a cold front passes through during the day.
However, the weather story begins to change significantly later in the day Wednesday and into Thursday as a strong cold front begins to quickly push southward across the Northern Plains and Midwest.
High temperatures behind the front in the Northern Plains, Upper Mississippi Valley, and Upper Great Lakes Thursday will plunge by 20-25 degrees into the mid-40s to low 50s.
Frigid morning lows will follow Friday morning, with widespread temperatures below freezing across the area, dipping as far as the low to mid-20s for portions of North Dakota and Minnesota.
This front will continue south and eastward Friday becoming the dominant story temperature-wise in upcoming forecasts.
Lake-effect showers are also in the forecast for the Upper Great Lakes as northwest flow across the lakes sets in behind the cold front.
Some wet snow may mix in for higher elevations of Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan Thursday night, though little accumulation is expected.
Further west, a frontal system sagging southeastward across the Southern Rockies and High Plains will begin to stall over the next couple days as a weak upper-level low cuts off from the mean flow and drifts slowly over the Southwest, continuing the chance for daily showers and thunderstorms in the region.
Anomalously high moisture that remains pooled across the area will keep up the risk for some storms to produce bouts of heavier rainfall, and isolated instances of flash flooding are possible, particularly for terrain sensitive areas and across burn scars.
High temperatures will also remain below normal with highs mostly in the mid- to upper 60s.
Outside of the Southern Rockies, pleasant conditions will remain in place across the rest of the West with an upper-level ridge over the West Coast.
Highs will be above average Wednesday and Thursday, some by as much as 20 degrees in the Pacific Northwest, with low-80s expected.
Elsewhere, highs will be in the upper 60s to mid-70s along the immediate Pacific coast, upper 70s to low 80s for the Great Basin, low 90s for the central California Valleys, and mid-90s to 100 degrees for the Desert Southwest. ■