Weather Forecast: Today, Tonight, Tomorrow, Next Day, Five Days, and Intermediate-Term Outlooks for the U.S. and a Five-Day Forecast for the World: posted February 26, 2023

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

Daily weather maps. I try to keep the below three maps updated. The Day 1 map updates twice a day and the Day 2 and 3 maps update only once a day. I will be doing the updating during the period described in the title of the article but if you happen to read this article later, 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 storm over the Central/Southern High Plains will move eastward off the
Eastern Sea Board by Monday morning. The system will produce showers and
severe thunderstorms over the Central/Southern Plains. Therefore, the SPC
has issued a Moderate Risk of severe thunderstorms over parts of the
Southern Plains through Monday morning. The hazards associated with these
thunderstorms are frequent lightning, severe thunderstorm wind gusts,
hail, and a few tornadoes. In addition, there is a higher threat of wind
gusts of 65 knots or greater, two-inch or greater hail, and EF2-EF5 over
parts of the Southern Plains into the Middle Mississippi Valley. In
addition, there is a marginal Risk of excessive rainfall over parts of the
Central Plains into the Upper/Middle Mississippi Valley through Monday
morning. The associated heavy rain will create localized areas of flash
flooding, affecting areas that experience rapid runoff with heavy rain.

Moreover, moisture streaming northward over the Plain/Mississippi Valley
will create rain and light to moderate snow over parts of the Upper West
overnight Sunday into Monday morning. Along the rain/snow line, there will
be areas of light to moderate rain/freezing rain. On Monday, the rain and
snow will move into the Great Lakes into parts of the Northeast. Likewise,
light to moderate rain/freezing rain will also develop over the region on
Monday. Overnight Monday, the snow will move into parts of New England,
while areas of rain/freezing rain will come to an end over parts of the
Great Lakes and Central Appalachians. The snow will continue over parts of
the Northeast on Tuesday. The combination of snow and ice will result in
reduced visibility and hazardous driving conditions.

In the meantime, the threat of severe storms reduces slightly on Monday.
Therefore, the SPC has issued a Slight Risk of severe thunderstorms over
parts of the Ohio Valley from Monday into Tuesday morning. The hazards
associated with these thunderstorms are frequent lightning, severe
thunderstorm wind gusts, a few tornadoes, and a minimal threat of hail.

There will also be a Marginal Risk of excessive rainfall over parts of the
Ohio Valley on Monday into Tuesday morning. However, the threat of severe
thunderstorms ends on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, a front over the Eastern Pacific Northwest and the associated
deep upper-level trough will move onshore over the Pacific Northwest
overnight Sunday. A second front over Southern California will move
eastward to the Southern High Plains by Monday evening. The systems will
produce coastal rain and higher elevation snow over parts of the Northwest
and California overnight Sunday into the Northern/Central Rockies through
Tuesday. The storm systems moving southeast across the Pacific Northwest
through midweek will produce heavy snow in the Cascades, Coastal Ranges,
and Sierra Nevada. Northern and Central California mountains, including
the Sierra Nevada, will see heavy snow rates in excess of 2 inches per
hour. Combined with high winds, which would cause blizzard conditions,
dangerous to even impossible travel is expected. If you plan to travel by
road at elevations above 2,000 feet through West Coast states, be prepared
for rapidly changing conditions and have winter driving supplies.

Elsewhere, the strong pressure gradient associated with the low moving
across the Southern Rockies to the Appalachians will produce high winds
over the region through Monday. Therefore, the pressure gradient has
prompted High Wind Warnings and High Wind Advisories from the Southern
Rockies/High Plains to the Ohio/Tennessee Valleys and the Central/Southern
Appalachians.

Additionally, upper-level energy will create snow over parts of the
Northeast from Sunday evening into Monday.

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)