Today Through the Fourth Friday (22 to 28 days) Weather Outlook for the U.S. and a Six-Day Forecast for the World: posted April 12, 2024
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
356 AM EDT Fri Apr 12 2024Valid 12Z Fri Apr 12 2024 – 12Z Sun Apr 14 2024
…Powerful low pressure system to produce gusty winds and heavy rain
across parts of the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley, and Northeast through
Friday……Lower elevation rain and mountain snow to enter California on
Saturday……Well above average temperatures forecast to surge into the
northern/central Plains this weekend…A broad area of showers and thunderstorms across the Midwest and into the
Northeast will continue Friday as a deep cyclone over the Great Lakes
slowly shifts into Canada. Showers should taper off from west to east
across the Great Lakes/Ohio Valley as the low departs, with more moderate
to heavy rainfall most likely along the Appalachians into the Lower Great
Lakes. The heaviest rainfall is expected ahead of a trailing cold front
through New England where an influx of moist southeasterly flow off the
Atlantic along upslope portions of the northern Appalachians contributes
to some more potent storms and rain totals. A Slight Risk of Excessive
Rainfall (level 2/4) has been issued for portions of New Hampshire and
Maine along and ahead of the White Mountains where the combination of
heavy rain and snowmelt could lead to some instances of flooding. Some
lighter lingering showers will last into Saturday, particularly for
interior portions of the Northeast. Conditions will also remain breezy
across the region with Wind Advisories in place for portions of the Great
Lakes, Appalachians, and New England.In the West, some light lower elevation rain showers and higher
elevation/mountain snow showers will be possible along a frontal system
pushing southward through portions of the northern Great Basin and Pacific
Northwest Friday. An approaching Pacific system will bring higher
precipitation chances spreading southward into California later Friday and
into the day Saturday. Some moderate to locally heavy showers will be
possible along the coast, with accumulating snowfall expected for the
Northern Coastal Ranges, Klamath Mountains, and Sierra Nevada. A Winter
Weather Advisory has been issued for southern portions of the Sierra where
6-12 inches of snow is forecast. Gusty winds are expected here as well,
especially along the area mountain ranges.Cooler, below average temperatures will spread eastward from the Lower
Great Lakes/Ohio Valley/Tennessee Valley Friday into the
Northeast/Mid-Atlantic Saturday following recent cold front passage. Highs
will tend to be at or just below average further south into the Southeast
and Florida. A broad area of much above average temperatures across the
West/Plains Friday will expand into the Mississippi Valley Saturday as
upper-level ridging shifts eastward over the central U.S. The greatest
anomalies will reside over the northern and central Plains Saturday, where
highs into the 80s are upwards of 20-25 degrees above normal. Much cooler
temperatures will arrive in California Saturday as the Pacific system
begins to move inland.