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 (up to four weeks) 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 after about 4 p.m. New York time but it is unlikely to have changed very much from the morning update. The images in this article automatically update.
Short Range Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
Fri Jan 17 2025
Valid 12Z Fri Jan 17 2025 – 12Z Sun Jan 19 2025…Arctic front begins to bring hazardous cold to much of the nation this
weekend……Wintry mix for the Midwest/Northeast and rain for the Southeast Friday
into Saturday……Snow showers with some moderate accumulations expected through the
Northern/Central Rockies and adjacent High Plains…A clipper system will move quickly across the northern Plains into the
Midwest Friday and the Northeast by Saturday, bringing a wintry mix of
rain and snow showers ahead of a sweeping cold front. Precipitation totals
should remain on the lighter side for most locations through Saturday,
with only some light snow accumulations expected for some of the higher
elevations of the Appalachians. More moderate totals are expected where
post-frontal flow across the Great Lakes will lead to some lake-effect
snow showers for favorable downwind locations, especially along the Upper
Peninsula of Michigan and east of Lake Ontario. Some potentially more
impactful snow is becoming more likely for the Northeast on Sunday just
beyond the current forecast period. Further South, moist return flow from
the Gulf of Mexico will lead to heavier rain showers ahead of the trailing
cold front through the Middle Mississippi/Ohio Valley and the Southeast
late Friday and into early Saturday. Some wintry precipitation will be
possible following the frontal passage for the Ohio/Tennessee Valleys on
Saturday. Showers and thunderstorms will continue ahead of the front as it
passes into northern Florida by Saturday evening, with more potent locally
heavy downpours and isolated flash flooding possible.This sweeping cold front will begin to usher in a frigid Arctic airmass
that will be one of the main national weather stories this weekend and
into the next week. Temperatures will plunge by 30-40 degrees Saturday
after above average conditions on Friday. Forecast highs Saturday range
from the single digits and teens in the northern Plains/Upper Midwest, the
teens and 20s for the central Plains and Midwest, and the 30s and 40s into
the Southern Plains/northern Texas. Wind chills upwards of 20-30 degrees
below zero are expected for the northern Plains. Unfortunately, this is
only just the tip of the iceberg, as even colder temperatures will expand
in coverage beyond the current forecast period. Conditions will be at or
above average ahead of the front along the East Coast and the Southeast
through Saturday, with highs the next couple of days in the 30s and 40s
for the Northeast, the 40s and 50s from the Ohio Valley east through the
Carolinas, and the 60s and low 70s for the Southeast.Upslope flow following the passage of the front along the Rockies will
lead to some scattered snow showers with light to moderate accumulations
for the northern Rockies/High Plains Friday and the central and southern
Rockies/High Plains Friday into Saturday. Gusty winds are also expected
across portions of the Plains and along the Front Range of the Rockies.
This may lead to some blowing snow in the northern Plains. Dry conditions
are expected for the Great Basin and West Coast, with high temperatures
generally around average. Forecast highs range from the 30s and 40s in the
Great Basin, the 40s for the Pacific Northwest, the 50s and 60s in
California, and the 60s to low 70s in the Desert Southwest.
To get your local forecast plus active alerts and warnings click HERE and enter your city, state or zip code.
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 Daily 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
We have a new animation of the forecast which shows how things may play out over the next 60 hours. To update click ANIMATION. Doing so will get you to the dashboard. You can then step through the animation or hit LOOP on the upper right of the display. You will have to hit the back arrow ← at the top left on your computer to get back into this article. It is a little more trouble than before but I think NOAA scrapped the animation routine I was using so we have to keep up with “progress”.
The NWS Climate Prediction Center’s: Watches, Warnings, and Advisories plus other information can be found HERE. That takes you to the NWC Severe Weather Site. From there you can select among many categories of information. Remember to hit the back arrow ← at the top left of your screen to return to 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
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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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. Note that unless there is an out-of-season storm the below images will not update until the National Hurricane Center starts their seasonal update of these maps on June 1. I include them simply because there can be an out-of-season event in which case it should show up in these maps.
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| I hope you found this article interesting and useful. |
