Today Through the Fourth Friday (22 to 28 days) Weather Outlook for the U.S. and a Six-Day Forecast for the World: posted February 22, 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
230 AM EST Thu Feb 22 2024Valid 12Z Thu Feb 22 2024 – 12Z Sat Feb 24 2024
…Pleasantly mild across most of the country through the end of the
week……Showers and thunderstorms from the Gulf Coast to the Ohio Valley on
Thursday…Showers and thunderstorms are forecast to develop across the Ohio Valley
and the Mid-South during the day on Thursday ahead of an approaching cold
front. The greatest rainfall totals with this event are expected roughly
from northern Kentucky to western Pennsylvania, where the combination of
moisture and atmospheric forcing will be the greatest. Isolated to
scattered coverage is expected across much of the Southeast U.S. and into
the Mid-Atlantic region, and possibly some mixed precipitation across
interior portions of the Northeast U.S. and snow for northern New England
going into Thursday night and Friday. Improving weather conditions are
likely by late Friday for most of the East Coast as the cold front moves
offshore.It will feel more like March and early April across much of the nation to
close out the week, especially across the Plains and Midwest where highs
could easily be 10-20 degrees above late February averages. Widespread
60s and 70s will be common from Texas to the Deep South both Thursday and
Friday, and 50 degree highs could reach as far north as southern Minnesota
and southern Wisconsin on Thursday. A return to reality arrives in time
for the weekend as a cold front from central Canada brings more
January-like readings for the northeastern quadrant of the nation, while
the Great Plains continue to remain mild.Elsewhere across the continental U.S., a mainly dry weather pattern can be
expected through Saturday with perhaps a few snow showers across portions
of the central and northern Rockies, and rain showers for portions of
western Oregon and Washington on Thursday. There may also be a few light
snow showers with the cold front crossing the Ohio Valley region Friday
night and the central Appalachians on Saturday, but nothing major
expected. Elevated fire weather conditions are forecast by the Storm
Prediction Center across portions of southwestern Texas owing to increased
winds and low humidity in the vicinity of a cold front passing though the
region.
