It is difficult to find a more comprehensive Weather Outlook anywhere else with the ability to get a local 10-day Forecast also.
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 NWS Short Range Forecast. The afternoon NWS text update can be found here but it is unlikely to have changed very much. The images in this article automatically update.
Short Range Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
Mon Feb 26 2024
Valid 12Z Mon Feb 26 2024 – 12Z Wed Feb 28 2024…Heavy snow over parts of the Cascades, the Northern Intermountain
Region, Northern/Central Rockies, Sierra Nevada Mountains, and higher
elevations of the Great Basin……Moderate to heavy snow over parts of the Upper Midwest…
…There is a Slight Risk of severe thunderstorms over parts of the Ohio
Valley/Great Lakes on Tuesday…A strong winter storm and cold front will move across the Pacific
Northwest to the Central Rockies by Tuesday evening. The strong cold front
will continue progressing through the region, reaching the Northern
Rockies on Monday and the Central Rockies on Tuesday.The storm will create near-blizzard conditions, resulting in dangerous
travel. Snowfall rates of 1-2 inches per hour are expected over the Oregon
Cascades and Northern Rockies Monday before spreading into the Great Basin
and Central Rockies Tuesday. These snow rates combined with winds gusting
50-65 mph will produce near-blizzard conditions with significantly reduced
visibility and snow-covered roads leading to dangerous travel.Moreover, significant snow accumulations are expected, with snow totals
greater than 2 feet are expected (greater than 80% chance) in the Cascades
through Tuesday, with locally as much as 4 feet possible in the highest
terrain. Elsewhere across the Intermountain West, there is a high chance
(greater than 70%) of more than 1 foot of snow in the higher elevations.
Lowering snow levels to near sea level will also produce some
accumulations onto the valley floors.Furthermore, widespread snow squalls are expected to develop along the
path of the cold front on Monday and Tuesday. Where snow squalls occur,
intense snow rates will produce rapid drops in visibility and icing on
roadways, resulting in dangerous travel.In addition, much colder air will move in behind the strong cold front.
Temperatures will fall into the teens and single digits by Tuesday morning
along and east of the Rockies.Meanwhile, southerly wind will bring warm temperatures to the Plains ahead
of the strong cold front. The warm and dry conditions with gusty winds
across the Southern High Plains have resulted in a Critical Risk of Fire
Weather (level 2/3) from the Storm Prediction Center on Monday, which is
likely to continue into Tuesday.Additionally, moisture from the Western Gulf of Mexico will stream
northward over the Southern Plains, Middle/Lower Mississippi Valley, and
Ohio Valley. The moisture will aid in creating scattered light rain
showers over parts of the Ohio Valley. By Tuesday, the moisture will
produce showers and severe thunderstorms over parts of the Ohio Valley.
Therefore, the SPC has issued a Slight Risk (level 2/5) of severe
thunderstorms over parts of the Ohio Valley, Middle Mississippi Valley,
and Great Lakes from Tuesday through Wednesday morning. The hazards
associated with these thunderstorms are frequent lightning, severe
thunderstorm wind gusts, hail, and a few tornadoes. Further, on Tuesday,
there is an increased threat of hail two inches or greater over parts of
northern Illinois and Indiana, plus northwestern Ohio.Moreover, as the strong front moves out of the Rockies onto the Plains,
light to moderate snow will develop over parts of the Northern
Plains/Upper Mississippi Valley on Monday. Moderate to heavy snow will
develop overnight Monday into Tuesday over northern Minnesota. Similarly,
overnight Tuesday into Wednesday, light to moderate snow will develop over
part of the western U.P. of Michigan. Elsewhere, showers and thunderstorms
will move into parts of the Central Appalachians and northern
Mid-Atlantic, with showers and thunderstorms extending into parts of the
Lower Mississippi Valley Tuesday night into Wednesday.
To get your local forecast plus active alerts and warnings click HERE and enter your city, state or zip code.
Above is a 72 hour animation of the forecast. Learn about wave patterns HERE.
Then, looking at the world and of course, the U.S. shows here also. Today we are looking at precipitation.
Please click on “Read More” below to access the full report issued today.
| 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.
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, here, 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. These links may also be useful for those viewing this article on a cell phone or other small screen.
| 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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14 |
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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 [that website is has been intermittent so be patient]
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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