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 U.S. outlooks and a six-day World weather outlook which can be very useful for travelers.
First the highlights from the NWS.
Short Range Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
Fri Dec 29 2023
Valid 12Z Fri Dec 29 2023 – 12Z Sun Dec 31 2023…Pacific storm system brings locally heavy rain to California Friday;
moderate to heavy snow forecast for the Sierras Saturday……Wintry mix expected for the Interior Northeast/New England, with some
accumulating ice and snow in Maine……Above average temperatures forecast for most of the country Friday and
Saturday; cooler temperatures and chilly morning lows for the Southeast…
Please click on “Read More” below to access the full report
| Notices: What would you like to learn about? Please provide that to me via the comment section at the end of the article. |
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 Pacific storm system will approach the West Coast Friday morning,
bringing increasing precipitation chances to California and the Pacific
Northwest. Moderate to locally heavy rainfall is likely for much of
California Friday, focusing along the northern and central coast and along
the higher terrain of the coastal ranges. Snow levels will start rather
high as a plume of warm, moist air moves in from the Pacific, keeping
snowfall limited to higher mountain peaks. Areal average rainfall totals
of 1-3″ may lead to some isolated flooding concerns. Some gusty winds are
also expected. Precipitation totals will come down some Saturday as the
system weakens, but spread a bit further inland, with a light wintry mix
for western portions of the Great Basin. Also, as snow levels come down
with cooler air moving in, some heavier snowfall totals between 8-12″ will
be possible for the Sierra, locally as high as 1-2 feet. Most of the
precipitation should come to an end by later Saturday night, early Sunday
morning.To the east, a frontal system dropping southward from Canada into the
Interior Northeast/New England will bring a wintry mix Friday, starting
out as rain for many locations before transitioning to snow by Friday
night into Saturday. Any snow accumulations should remain limited.
However, one exception will be in interior Maine where freezing rain
accretions of 0.1-0.2″ and snowfall of 1-2″ may be a bit more disruptive
to any travel this holiday weekend. A very light wintry mix will also
likely continue to linger Friday further south and west into the Ohio,
Tennessee, and Middle Mississippi Valleys as well as the central and
southern Appalachians under the influence of a deep upper low. Some light,
spotty showers will also be possible in the Mid-Atlantic and northeastward
through coastal New England. Precipitation chances Saturday should remain
light and be limited to the Appalachians and New England. Elsewhere, a
clipper system passing through the Upper Midwest/Great Lakes Saturday may
bring a few light snow showers. The rest of the country looks to remain
dry.Most of the country will see high temperatures running above average
Friday and Saturday. Conditions will be most anomalous Friday from the
Northern Plains into the Upper Midwest/Great Lakes where highs in the 30s
and 40s are 15-20 degrees above average. Temperatures will drop into the
20s and 30s Saturday. Elsewhere, forecast highs range from the 30s and 40s
in New England, the 40s and 50s for the Mid-Atlantic, the 40s and 50s for
the Central Plains, and the 50s and 60s for the Southern Plains/Texas. In
the West, 30s and 40s are expected for the Rockies/Great Basin, with 50s
and 60s for the Pacific Northwest and California and some 70s into the
Desert Southwest. One area where temperatures will be running below
average is from the Lower Mississippi Valley into the Southeast, as
conditions will be slower to moderate following a cold front passage and a
deep upper low passes overhead. Forecast highs are mainly in the 40s and
50s, with some chilly morning lows dropping to at/near freezing along the
central/northern Gulf Coast.
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.
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10
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| 8–
14 |
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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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