Weather Outlook for the U.S. for Today Through at Least 22 Days and a Six-Day Forecast for the World: – Posted on January 21, 2025
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
Tue Jan 21 2025
Valid 12Z Tue Jan 21 2025 – 12Z Thu Jan 23 2025…Dangerously cold temperatures and wind chill values to linger for much
of the South and eastern U.S. through mid-week……Rare winter storm to bring heavy snow as well as areas of sleet and
freezing rain to the Gulf Coast and Southeast with widespread travel
impacts expected……Extremely Critical Risk of fire weather for southern California will
continue into Tuesday…A bitterly cold airmass will remain in place for much of the South and
eastern U.S. over the next couple of days following an Arctic frontal
passage over the holiday weekend. Forecast temperatures on Tuesday will be
upwards of 20-30 degrees below January averages for most locations with
highs ranging from the single digits and teens in the Midwest, the teens
and 20s in the Northeast, and the 20s and 30s across the central/southern
Plains and Southeast. Many record lows are possible Wednesday morning,
especially along the Gulf Coast and into the Tennessee Valley. Sub-zero
wind chills will continue for the central/southern Plains and Ohio Valley,
and may expand into the Mid-Atlantic and Mid-Mississippi Valley through
Wednesday. After another brutal morning with dangerous wind chills
reaching 30 to 55 degrees below zero, portions of the northern Plains will
see a return to relatively warmer, more typical January temperatures in
the 20s and 30s by Tuesday afternoon as downsloping air from the Rockies
spreads eastward across the region. These temperatures will reach the
Upper Midwest by Wednesday, while temperatures will also moderate into the
40s and 50s for western portions of the central/southern Plains.The combination of this Arctic air reaching the Gulf Coast and a
developing low pressure system over the Gulf will lead to a rare,
significant winter storm for the Gulf Coast and Southeast the next couple
of days. A historic snowfall is possible along the Gulf Coast, with
snowfall rates of 1″/hour or more possible from eastern Texas through the
western Florida Panhandle. This may produce snowfall totals as much as
3-6″ for the I-10 corridor, including the cities of Houston, New Orleans,
Mobile, and Pensacola. A combination of heavy snow, sleet, and freezing
rain is expected further east into Georgia, northern Florida, and the
eastern Carolinas. This storm may lead to major highway and air traffic
disruptions, including possible road closures and flight cancellations,
which may continue for several days even after the snowfall ends. Power
outages are also possible and will exacerbate the threat from the frigid
temperatures.Unfortunately, dangerous fire weather conditions look to continue through
at least mid-week for southern California with very strong offshore flow
and low humidity in place. The Storm Prediction Center has outlined an
Extremely Critical Risk of fire weather (level 3/3) for the regional
mountains around the LA Basin as wind gusts may reach 70-100 mph. A
Critical Risk (level 2/3) is also in place for the regional valleys and
coastal regions with gusts of 50-80 mph expected. A Critical Risk
continues for the mountains Wednesday. Elsewhere in the West, conditions
will be dry, with generally mild high temperatures. Forecast highs range
from the 40s and 50s for the Pacific Northwest and Great Basin, the 50s
and 60s in California, and the 60s and 70s in the Desert Southwest.
Morning lows will be a bit chilly, however, and may drop close to freezing
for more sensitive areas of the Desert Southwest and the central
California Valleys.Elsewhere, scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected across
Florida. Bands of heavy lake effect snow will continue the next couple of
days for favorable downwind locations of the Great Lakes with persistent
northwesterly flow in place. A clipper system dropping south from Canada
into the northern Plains and Upper Midwest will bring some snow showers
through mid-week.