Today Through the Fourth Friday (22 to 28 days) Weather Outlook for the U.S. and a Six-Day Forecast for the World: posted March 28, 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
Thu Mar 28 2024
Valid 12Z Thu Mar 28 2024 – 12Z Sat Mar 30 2024…Rainy, stormy weather continues along the East Coast through today,
lingering in New England Friday……Unsettled weather for the West, with a late season Atmospheric River
impacting California Friday……Warming trend begins over Central U.S. today…
Two slow moving frontal boundaries will continue to push towards the East
Coast today, with the leading front pushing into the Atlantic by early
afternoon and the second front slowing approaching the coast while
weakening through this evening. Chances for showers and thunderstorms will
continue through today along the East Coast but taper off from south to
north as the leading front exits. Locally heavy rainfall will be possible
over portions of the eastern Mid-Atlantic and coastal New England, which
may cause isolated to scattered instances of flash flooding. The highest
risk for flash flooding will be over eastern North Carolina and far
southeastern Virginia as a wave of low pressure moves along the frontal
boundary today, and there is a Slight Risk of Excessive Rainfall (level
2/4) for this area. Precipitation chances will likely linger through
Friday for portions of New England as low pressure strengthens just east
of the region. Colder air moving in from the north will allow rain to
switch to wintry mixed precipitation and snow overnight into Friday for
inland areas. Winds will also become gusty in the Northeast on Friday and
Saturday as the low strengthens and the pressure gradient tightens.Meanwhile, a frontal system will push southeast across much of the West
with unsettled weather today into Friday. Mountain snow and low elevation
rain will impact the region, and locally heavy snow will be possible for
regional mountain ranges from the Pacific Northwest southward into
northern/central California, as well as for the eastern Great Basin into
the northern/central Rockies. Low pressure associated with the
southeastward moving frontal system will push into the northern and
central Plains on Friday and reach the Great Lakes region by Saturday
morning. This will bring chances for wintry precipitation to the Upper
Midwest and northern Great Lakes and chances for showers and thunderstorms
to portions of the Midwest and Ohio Valley.On Friday afternoon, a Pacific low pressure system will approach the
California coast. This system will aim a plume of moisture (an atmospheric
river) at central and southern California Friday night into Saturday,
which will result in heavy rainfall and potentially flash flooding. There
is a Slight Risk of Excessive Rainfall (level 2/4) for portions of coastal
southern California on Friday and Saturday where upslope flow along
terrain will likely enhance rainfall totals and could lead to scattered
instances flooding.Temperature-wise, lows this morning will be chilly, dropping into the low
to mid-30s across portions of the Mid-South into the Tennessee Valley
following a cold front passage, and Frost/Freeze-related advisories and
warnings are in place for newly greening sensitive vegetation. Increasing
upper-level ridging over will bring warmer, above average temperatures to
portions of the Central U.S. today, to the Plains, Mississippi Valley, and
Midwest on Friday, and to the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic on Saturday.
Below average high temperatures are forecast for much of the West through
the weekend due to expected cloud cover and precipitation and for the
northern high Plains Friday through the weekend as colder air moves in
behind a cold front.