Weather: Tonight, Tomorrow, Next Day, Five Days, and Intermediate-Term Outlooks for the U.S. and a Five-Day Forecast for the World: posted April 23, 2023

First, the 48-Hour Forecast (It is a 48 to 72 Hour Forecast actually)

Daily weather maps. The Day 1 map updates twice a day and the Day 2 and 3 maps update only once a day. These maps update automatically. But if that does not happen, you can get updates by clicking HERE

TODAY (or late in the day the evening/overnight map will appear)

TOMORROW

NEXT DAY

This animation shows how things may play out over the next 60 hours. To update click here.

ATMOSPHERIC RIVERS

This tells us what is approaching the West Coast. Click HERE to update If I have not gotten around to doing the update.   Here is some useful information about Atmospheric Rivers.

Continuation of the NWS Short Range Forecast. It is updated by NWS twice a day and these updates can be found here. We post at least one of those updates daily, sometimes both. The Highlights are shown in the lede paragraph of this article.

A large dome of Canadian high pressure has taken hold of the Nation’s
Heartland and will spread east into the Mid-South and Mid-Atlantic during
the first half of the week. Accompanying this large high pressure system
is an even more extensive area of below normal temperatures. Monday’s
daily low temperatures from the Middle Mississippi Valley on east into the
Ohio/Tennessee Valleys and northern Mid-Atlantic will plunge near or below
freezing, prompting the issuance of Freeze Warnings and Frost Advisories
in some of these areas. A handful of daily record low minimum and maximum
temperatures are possible as well. Temperatures east of the Rockies and
into the Mid-Atlantic are likely to average 10-15 degrees below normal
through mid-week, making it feel more like March outside rather than late
April. The unusually chilly temperatures will be cold enough to where some
precipitation in the Upper Great Lakes will fall in the form snow at times
on Monday, but little in the way of accumulation is expected. Farther
west, an upper level ridge strengthening off the coast tomorrow and into
mid-week will foster warmer than normal temperatures in California and the
Desert Southwest. By Tuesday, portions of California’s Great Valley will
rise well into the 80s with desert areas of southern California and
Arizona eclipsing the 90 degree mark.

One of the reasons for the cooler than normal temperatures regime in the
eastern and central U.S. is a large, spiraling upper low over the Great
Lakes and Ontario is blocked by a ridge of high pressure over Quebec and
the Davis Strait. This ridge is forcing a storm system off the Northeast
coast to become stationary, making for a dreary and unsettled first half
of the work-week throughout much of New England. The upper low will also
spark scattered showers and thunderstorms in the Great Lakes on Monday.
Farther south, rounds of strong storms are rapidly tracking south of Texas
this afternoon and drier conditions return tonight and into Monday.
Meanwhile, a cold front over Florida will spawn strong-to-severe
thunderstorms over The Sunshine State on Monday. The Storm Prediction
Center does have a Marginal Risk for severe weather from Cape Canaveral on
south to the Miami metro area. By Tuesday morning, a potent upper low
tracking into northern Utah is set to be the next weather-maker in the
South Central U.S. as widespread showers and thunderstorms form along and
north of a warm front positioned over northern Texas. The Storm Prediction
Center has a Slight Risk for severe weather in southeast Texas, while the
Weather Prediction Center has a Slight Risk for Excessive Rainfall in and
around both the ArkLaTex and eastern Oklahoma. The lower elevations of the
Colorado Front Range and the high plains of Colorado could also contend
with Excessive Rainfall, as highlighted with the issuance of a Marginal
Risk for Tuesday.

The aforementioned upper low responsible for the next round of severe
weather and heavy rainfall in the South Central U.S. on Tuesday will also
be the reason for more mountain snow and valley/coastal rain from the
Pacific Northwest tonight and Monday to the northern and central Rockies
for Monday and Tuesday. As much as 6-12″ of snowfall are forecast in the
highest elevations of the Cascade Range and both the northern and central
Rockies. There are Winter Storm Watches up for the highest elevations of
southwest Montana that are in effect from Monday evening through Tuesday
morning. The Colorado Rockies feature the best odds of seeing snowfall
totals greater than 12″ through Tuesday evening according to WPC snowfall
probabilities (as high as 70% in the tallest peaks). Meanwhile,
precipitation will be in the form of rain along the Pacific Northwest
coast and in the valleys of the Intermountain West. In wake of this storm,
the building ridge of high pressure along the West Coast will give the
western third of the U.S. a short-lived reprieve from the active pattern
to start the week, and allow for drier and more tranquil weather to take
shape for Wednesday.

Below is the current five-day cumulative forecast of precipitation (Updates can be found HERE)

Now we look at Intermediate-Term “Outlook” maps for three time periods. Days 6 – 10, Days 8 – 14, and Weeks 3 and 4.  An outlook differs from a forecast based on how NOAA uses these terms in that an “outlook” presents information as deviation from normal and the likelihood of these deviations.

Below are the links to obtain updates and additional information. They are particularly useful if you happen to be reading this article significantly later than when it was published. I always try to provide readers with the source of the information in my articles.

Temperature month to date can be found at https://hprcc.unl.edu/products/maps/acis/MonthTDeptUS.png

Precipitation month to date can be found at  https://hprcc.unl.edu/products/maps/acis /MonthPNormUS.png

Worldwide Tropical Forecast (This is a NOAA Product)