Weather Outlook for the U.S. for Today Through at Least 22 Days and a Six-Day Forecast for the World: posted December 9, 2024
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
Mon Dec 09 2024
Valid 12Z Mon Dec 09 2024 – 12Z Wed Dec 11 2024…Heavy rain threat across the central to eastern Gulf Coast region today
will expand and move up the East Coast late Tuesday into Wednesday
morning……Periods of mixed rain and snow linger across interior New England
through tonight……Snow/blizzard conditions across the northern High Plains will gradually
taper off later today……Strong Santa Ana winds prompting critical fire danger across Southern
California……Well above average temperatures will overspread the central and eastern
U.S. as cold air surges into the western and then central U.S….Increasingly active weather will progress toward the eastern U.S. through
the next couple of days as a weather pattern reversal continues to unfold
across the mainland U.S. One of the ingredients of this pattern change is
manifested by an expanding area of moderate to heavy rain moving through
the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys this morning with embedded thunderstorms
across the Deep South. The associated jet stream aloft will send the rain
rapidly northeastward across the Mid-Atlantic states today, reaching into
southern New England tonight. Temperatures will be cold enough to support
snow across northern New England Monday night into Tuesday morning before
tapering off for the time-being Tuesday afternoon. Meanwhile, an
extensive surge of cold air into the mid-section of the country will
reinvigorate the jet stream across the Deep South on Tuesday, leading to
an expanding area of moderate to locally heavy rain from the Gulf Coast
into the Deep South and interior Southeast. Tuesday night into Wednesday
morning will likely see the rain quickly expanding up the Appalachians and
into the interior section of the Mid-Atlantic, and then up into New
England with some ice possible at the onset. Meanwhile, organized lines
of thunderstorms could form ahead of a potent cold front across the
interior Southeast early on Wednesday along with sharply colder
temperatures and blustery northwesterly winds behind the front.Across the northern High Plains, colder air and gale force winds behind a
low pressure system have prompted winter weather advisories/warnings,
Blizzard Warnings, as well as wind advisories/high wind warnings this
morning. 4-7″ of snow is expected across the northern High Plains.
Meanwhile, strong onshore flow off Lake Superior will further enhance
local snow totals across the Arrowhead of MN range where 9-12″+ totals are
expected.On Tuesday, a more intense surge of cold air will be funneled southward
from Alaska and western Canada into the Plains associated with an
intensifying arctic high pressure system. A ‘Blue Norther’ cold front
will be driving well through the Southern Plains into northern Mexico by
Tuesday night, dropping temperatures into the 30s into southern Texas by
Wednesday morning. Meanwhile, a reinforcing cold front will drop
temperatures below zero degrees over the northern Plains by then. High
temperatures will be about 5-10 degrees below normal across much of the
Rockies, Southwest and eventually into the Plains.Across the western U.S., a cold surge directed through the Great Basin
into the lower Colorado River Valley today will bring very strong Santa
Ana winds into southern California by later today. Given dry/low humidity
conditions already in place, Red Flag Warnings have been issued for the
eastern Transverse and all of the Peninsular Ranges; as well as a Critical
Fire (level 2 of 3) from the Storm Prediction Center. Winds of 35 to 45
mph in the valleys and gusts of 50 to 65 mph in the mountains will help
fan any fires that do develop quickly and may reduce visibility with
blowing smoke and dust adding to travel concerns in the region.