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 20, 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 update can be found here if I have not updated it.
Short Range Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
Tue Feb 20 2024
Valid 12Z Tue Feb 20 2024 – 12Z Thu Feb 22 2024…Heavy rain and heavy mountain snow in California are expected to become
less intense……A Moderate Risk of Excessive Rainfall remains in effect along portions
of coastal southern California today……Warming trend expected to expand from the Great Plains into the Midwest
through midweek…Heavy rain, snow, high winds and thunderstorm impacts will gradually
diminish across California today, as the upper trough supporting them
pushes farther inland. A quasi-stationary front will be the focus for
additional heavy rainfall over southern California today. A Moderate Risk
of Excessive Rainfall leading to Flash Flooding (level 3/4) is in effect
for portions of Los Angeles and Orange Counties where between 1-3 inches
of rain are possible. Higher totals are expected along the immediate coast
and favored terrain of the Transverse Ranges. A broader Slight Risk area
(level 2/4) is in effect from Humboldt County down to San Diego, as well
as the Sacramento Valley and adjacent upslope areas of the Sierra.
Additional accumulations of 6-12 inches of snow are expected for the
Sierra, while 1-2 feet are likely over the Shasta Siskiyous today.
Persistent troughing and upsloping will support moderate to heavy snow
over the Intermountain West where generally between 6-12 inches of snow
can be expected. This snowfall is likely to continue into Wednesday and
expand in coverage into the Central Rockies.Elsewhere, the ongoing warming trend is expected to continue across the
Great Plains and Mississippi Valley through Wednesday before moderating a
bit and resurging once again heading into the weekend. High temperatures
will be 15-25 degrees above average today and Wednesday over the Great
Plains and Mississippi Valley while mild air shift slowly into the Midwest
and East Coast. The Florida Peninsula will remain below average
temperature-wise due to a deepening upper trough in the western Atlantic.
A developing low pressure system will bring showers and thunderstorms to
the Midwest on Thursday.