A strengthening storm system will be producing widespread hazardous conditions over the next two days as it pushes northeastward from the Southern Plains Thursday afternoon, across the Lower to Middle Mississippi Valley and Ohio Valley region on Friday and into the Northeast Friday night and Saturday.
Article continues below
Thunderstorm activity will be developing rapidly late Thursday afternoon/evening ahead of this storm across eastern portions of the Southern Plains from central to eastern Oklahoma into north Texas.
These thunderstorms will have the potential to produce flash flooding and severe weather as they push eastward tonight into Friday morning across the Lower Arkansas Valley, Lower to Middle Mississippi Valley and Lower Ohio Valley region.
The heavy rain/flash flooding and severe weather threat will then push through the Ohio Valley and Tennessee Valleys on Friday as the strong storm continues to move steadily northeastward.
During Friday, heavy snows will also develop on the northwest and northern fringes of the storm across northern Illinois, northern Indiana and the southern portions of the L.P. of Michigan where snow totals of 6" or greater are possible.
This heavy snow potential will then spread into portions of the Northeast and New England Friday night into Saturday with snow totals of 6-12"+ possible across Upstate and Northern New York, all of Vermont, New Hampshire, northern Massachusetts and southern Maine.
In areas of heavy snow, travel will be very difficult from the combination of snow rates greater than an inch an hour and strong winds.
While winter weather grips areas from the Lower Lakes into the Northeast, record warmth will continue across portions of Florida.
Numerous record high temperatures have been set across the southern tier of the nation along the Gulf Coast over the past few days.
While somewhat cooler temperatures are expected across the western to central Gulf Coast over the next few days, much above average temperatures, 10 to 20 degrees above average, will continue across much of Florida, supporting the potential for additional record highs Friday and Saturday.
In contrast, below average temperatures will continue to persist across much of the West to the west of the Rockies into this weekend.
Additional record or near record cold maximum temperatures are possible again on Saturday along much of coastal California.
A frontal boundary moving toward the Pacific Northwest coast Friday night will bring additional moderate to heavy precipitation into coastal sections of the Pacific Northwest, southward into northern California.
Additional heavy snows likely through the Cascades of Washington State and Oregon, the Olympic Range of Washington and the coast ranges of Oregon, northwest California and the northern Sierra Range.
Areas from far southwest Oregon into northern California have seen above average precipitation/mountain snows over the past week with the likelihood of additional heavy snows through this upcoming weekend.
By the end of the weekend additional snow totals of 1 to 4 feet are possible across these areas, with the heaviest of these totals likely for the northern Sierra Range. ■
Modified arctic air combined with a moisture-laden area of low pressure along the Gulf Coast will continue to allow for a broad area of winter weather impacts from the Lower Mississippi Valley to the Southeast today into early Saturday morning.