Click HERE for the 10-Day Forecast for North Pole Alaska.
This article focuses on what we are paying attention to in the next 48 to 72 hours. The article also includes weather maps for longer-term outlooks and a six-day World weather outlook which can be very useful for travelers.
We start with the U.S. Information. That is the longest part of the article. Then we have a short section on World Weather and then we address the Tropics. When there are tropical storms that might impact the U.S. we provide more detailed information which updates frequently on those storms.
Please click on “Read More” below to access the full report as I have moved the highlights into the body of the report where it is followed by the Today, Tomorrow and the Next Day maps and a lot more. I will try to feature the most important graphic in the lede paragraph on the home page. But there are often multiple maps that are very important so it is best to read the full article. We now have a snow report and it is possible to get a ten-day NWS forecast for the zip code of your choice.
| Notices: What would you like to learn about? Please provide that to me via the comment section at the end of the article. |
First the highlights from the NWS.
Short Range Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
Mon Dec 25 2023
Valid 12Z Mon Dec 25 2023 – 12Z Wed Dec 27 2023…Significant winter storm will “let it snow, let it snow, let it snow”
over portions of the Central Plains on Christmas where blizzard conditions
and hazardous travel are anticipated; treacherous ice accumulations
expected in the eastern Dakotas and northern Minnesota……Widespread showers and storms to make for a wet Christmas and Boxing
Day for much of the East, with some flash flooding possible for the
southern Appalachians……Pacific storm system to introduce more rain and mountain snow over the
Pacific Northwest Christmas night into Tuesday……Unusually mild temperatures along and east of the Mississippi River
with some record breaking warmth possible in the Midwest and Great Lakes..
Now more detail on 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) (Key to surface fronts shown on maps and you will then also be able to insert a city name or zip code and get a local NWS forecast).
TOMORROW
NEXT DAY
This animation shows how things may play out over the next 60 hours. To update click here.
The NWS Climate Prediction Center’s: Watches, Warnings, and Advisories plus other information 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.
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
A large, dynamic storm system will bring multifaceted impacts to the
central and eastern U.S. this Christmas, including heavy snow, blizzard
conditions, and ice for portions of the Central Plains and Upper Midwest
with heavy rainfall and the risk for flash flooding in the Southeast. As
an upper level low deepens over the Central Plains, rich Gulf of Mexico
moisture will surge from the central Gulf Coast to the Central Plains. By
Christmas morning, the closed upper low in the Central Plains will foster
a favorable environment for surface low pressure to quickly strengthen
over Iowa. On the western flank of the storm, heavy snow will increase in
coverage and intensity throughout Christmas day across northern Kansas,
Nebraska, and South Dakota. Snowfall totals of >4″ are expected, with a
high chance (70+%) of a foot of snow from central Nebraska into
south-central South Dakota. In addition, very strong winds with gusts
upwards of 55 mph will lead to Blizzard conditions. While a White
Christmas may be exciting for those nestled at home, the heavy snowfall
rates and reduced visibilities due to blowing snow will make for hazardous
to even impossible travel conditions. From the Red River Valley of the
North to northern Minnesota, significant icing is expected. WPC
probabilities show a high chance (70+%) of ice accumulations greater than
0.1″ across the region, with moderate chances (40-60%) for more
significant ice accumulations >0.25″ in southeast North Dakota.
Treacherous travel conditions, slippery sidewalks, and isolated power
outages due to ice are expected. By Tuesday, the winter storm will
gradually weaken but still produce a combination of heavy snow and blowing
snow, shifting more westward into the central High Plains. The Red River
Valley of the North and northern Minnesota will contend with an icy wintry
mix throughout the day.Further east, Gulf of Mexico moisture funneling northward ahead of a
passing cold front will spawn numerous showers and a few thunderstorms
with moderate to locally heavy rainfall from the Great Lakes to the Ohio
Valley and the Southeast. Very heavy rainfall of several inches is
forecast along portions of the Southern Appalachians, where a Slight Risk
of Excessive Rainfall (level 2/4) has been issued as some scattered to
potentially numerous instances of flash flooding will be possible. By
Tuesday, the plume of Gulf of Mexico moisture will work its way into the
Mid-Atlantic as a secondary system organizes along the Southeast coast,
continuing the chance for moderate to locally heavy rainfall, particularly
along the southern and central Appalachians. In the West, a new potent
Pacific storm system will deliver rounds of heavy coastal/valley rain and
snow to the Cascades Monday night and into Tuesday morning. A wintry mix
is forecast for the Columbia River Valley and Basin and may lead to
hazardous travel conditions. Some lighter snow will also spread into the
northern Rockies. Another system will follow quickly on the heels of the
first, with precipitation beginning to pick back up again along the coast
by Wednesday morning.Temperature-wise, it’s no surprise given all the rain that it will not be
feeling a lot like Christmas from the Upper Midwest on east to the Great
Lakes and East Coast. On the heels of a Christmas Eve that sported
numerous record warm min and max temps in the Upper Midwest, more
unusually mild temps are expected Christmas Day in the Upper Midwest and
Great Lakes where highs in the 50s are running between 15-25 degrees above
normal. The East Coast will not witness quite the anomalous warmth that
the Midwest and Great Lakes will, but daily average temps into the 40s for
New England and 50s and 60s further south will still be rather mild and
could range between 10-15 degrees above normal. Tuesday continues to be
exceptionally mild in the Great Lakes and along the East Coast with more
record breaking warm min temperatures scattered throughout the Great
Lakes. In contrast, the central/southern Plains and central/southern
Rockies will be the coolest versus normal thanks to a recent cold frontal
passage injecting the region with an air-mass that feels a lot more like
Christmas, with 30s and 40s to the north and 50s to the south. Conditions
will be around average for the West, with 30s and 40s for the Great Basin,
50s and 60s along the coast, and 60s and 70s into the Desert Southwest.
Learn about wave patterns HERE.
Below is the current five-day cumulative forecast of precipitation (Updates can be found HERE)
Ski SnowReports
New Feature – Ski Reports. It is difficult to find reports that auto-update on-screen (and they are very long) but these links will get you to them – If you have additional suggestions make them in the comments section after every Econcurrents Article and we may add those links. We will try to not have too much overlap as that can add to the confusion.
Snow Forecasts. And remember this shows natural snow. Ski resorts also make their own snow.
Day 1
Day 2
Additional snow information can be found here and here. The second link provides animations.
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.
| Days 6 – 10 (shown in Row 1) | Days 8 – 14 (Shown in Row 2) | Weeks 3 and 4 (Shown in Row 3 but updates only on Fridays) |
| https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa. gov/products/predictions/610day/ | https://www.cpc.ncep .noaa.gov/products/predictions/814day/ | https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/WK34/ |
Showing the actual maps. They should now update automatically. The Week 3 – 4 Outlook only updates on Fridays. So below is what I call the Intermediate-term outlook. On Fridays, it extends out 28 Days. That declines day by day so on Thursday it only looks out 22 days until the next day when the Week 3 – 4 Outlook is updated and this extends the outlook by one additional week.
| 6–
10
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| 8–
14 |
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| 3–
4 |
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HAZARDS OUTLOOKS
Click here for the latest complete Day 3 -7 Hazards forecast which updates only on weekdays. Once a week probably Monday or Tuesday I will update the images. I provided the link for readers to get daily updates on weekdays. Use your own judgment to decide if you need to update these images. I update almost all the images Friday Night for the weekend edition of this Weather Report. So normally readers do not need to update these images but if the weather is changing quickly you may want to.
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
World Forecast
Below are the Day 1 -3 and 4-6 forecasts for temperature and precipitation. Updates and much additional information can be obtained HERE
World Temperature Anomalies
World Accumulated Precipitation
This information is provided by the University of Maine. They draw upon many different sources. There is a lot of information available at the link provided. I have just provided two useful forecasts. There are probably over a hundred different forecasts available from this source.
Worldwide Tropical Forecast (This is a NOAA Product)
This graphic updates on Tuesdays) If it has not been updated, you can get the update by clicking here Readers will only have to do that if they are reading this article much later than the date of it being published.
Information on Tropical Storms can be found HERE. Western Pacific information can be found HERE.
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| I hope you found this article interesting and useful. |
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