Today Through the Fourth Friday (22 to 28 days) Weather Outlook for the U.S. and a Six-Day Forecast for the World: posted May 10, 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 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
Fri May 10 2024
Valid 12Z Fri May 10 2024 – 12Z Sun May 12 2024…Severe thunderstorms possible in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast today…
…Above average temperatures will spread across the West and
north-central U.S. this weekend…Showers and thunderstorms are forecast to continue today across the
Mid-Atlantic and the Southeast as a slow-moving cold front gradually
pushes towards the East Coast. Severe thunderstorms will be possible from
the eastern Carolinas where the Storm Prediction Center has highlighted an
area with a Slight Risk of Severe Thunderstorms (level 2/5) and in
southern Georgia and north Florida where there is another Slight Risk
(level 2/5) area with an embedded Enhanced Risk (level 3/5) area. The main
thunderstorm threat will be damaging winds, but hail and locally heavy
rainfall/isolated instances of flash flooding will be possible.
Precipitation will come to an end for most areas in these regions tonight
as the front moves into the Atlantic, but isolated showers and storms will
remain possible in south Florida through the weekend as the frontal
boundary slows/stalls.By this afternoon, a frontal system will develop over the Upper Midwest
then push across the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley tonight. This system will
cause precipitation chances to return to the Mid-Atlantic and southern New
England on Saturday with another round of showers and thunderstorms
expected. This system is forecast to be weaker than the system that
impacted the region on Thursday and Friday, and severe thunderstorms are
not expected. Another front will drop south into the northern Plains and
upper Midwest on Sunday, but the frontal passage is expected to be mostly
dry with only some scattered showers and storms.Meanwhile, an upper level low and a stationary surface front will be
positioned over the southwestern U.S., which will support low elevation
showers and thunderstorms over the central and southern High Plains and
the Four Corners region and high elevation wintry precipitation through
Saturday. Most lower elevation areas will see light to moderate rainfall,
though some heavier showers/storms will be possible heading into Saturday
evening for portions of west Texas, with some isolated flash flooding
possible. The upper low will gradually push east Saturday night into
Sunday, and precipitation chances will expand into the central and
southern Plains as a low pressure system develops. This system will push
east early next week, and warm, moist inflow from the Gulf of Mexico will
likely support heavy rainfall in the warm sector that could potentially
lead to flash flooding in parts of the South.The Pacific Northwest and much of California will remain dry through this
weekend as surface high pressure and upper level ridging remain anchored
over the region. This will result in above average temperatures with highs
in the 80s and even lower 90s (15-25 degrees above average) in some areas.
The upper level ridge and above average temperatures will expand east
across the north-central U.S. over the weekend where highs will range from
the mid-70s to the lower 80s. Elsewhere, forecast precipitation and cloud
cover will result in temperatures below or near average.