A distinct temperature contrast between the northern and southern tiers of the Lower 48 will be present as the South remains abnormally warm while the North contends with more late winter-like conditions.
Article continues below
Starting in the South, abnormally hotter than normal conditions will be common throughout the holiday weekend.
A small handful of record highs are forecast in South Texas and central Florida with highs soaring above the century mark along and near the Rio Grande Valley.
Meanwhile, a cold front pushing south through the Tennessee Valley this morning will be responsible for igniting additional showers and thunderstorms across the Lower Mississippi Valley and the Deep South today and Easter Sunday.
A pair of Slight Risks have been posted by the Storm Prediction Center for parts of these regions each day with damaging wind gusts, large hail, and tornadoes all possible within severe storms.
In addition to the severe threat, there is also the potential for Excessive Rainfall.
A pair of Marginal Risks have been issued in the Deep South with a small Slight Risk areas in eastern Alabama and central Georgia on Easter Sunday.
Rainfall totals could surpass 2 inches with localized totals of 3 to 4 inches possible through the remainder of the weekend.
Farther north, temperatures that are more reminiscent of "late in the winter" storms will be common from the Northwest to the Great Lakes.
A handful of daily record cold max and minimum temperatures are possible in the Pacific Northwest and northern High Plains today where daily temperature anomalies are likely to be 15-20 degrees below normal.
There are also Freeze Warnings and Frost Advisories that are in place early this morning.
After one more mild day in the Northeast, a cold front will usher in the cold Canadian air-mass residing in the Midwest today.
Scattered showers and a few thunderstorms are expected along the front in the Northeast but the odds of storms becoming severe are lower than their neighbors to the South.
Farther west, a Pacific storm system delivering a surge of Pacific moisture will result in accumulating snowfall from the Sierra Nevada to the northern and central Rockies today.
Snow totals up to a foot are possible in the Sierra Nevada, the higher elevations of Idaho, and western Montana.
To account for these lighter but still potentially disruptive snow event, Winter Weather Advisories have been issued through this afternoon for some of the the northern Rockies and Sierras.
By Easter Sunday, the wave of low pressure exits the Rockies and enters the Great Plains, bringing its shield of snow to the Dakotas and Upper Midwest.
Another 4 to 8 inches of snow is forecast across northeast Montana and northern North Dakota on Sunday.
Elsewhere, fire weather remains a big concern in parts of the southern High Plains and lower Four Corners region.
A Critical Risk of fire weather is in place over northern New Mexico and far southern Colorado due to gusty winds and very dry relative humidity levels.
Currently there are a pair of Elevated Risk areas in parts of the southern and central High Plains for Easter Sunday but a Critical Risk area may be necessary in future forecasts. ■
The main thing making weather headlines Friday and into the weekend will be the widespread coverage of showers and thunderstorms across much of the central and eastern U.S., with a particular focus across southeast Texas, the Mid-South, and portions of Virginia.