Today’s Weather Outlook

A one-two punch of weather systems will wreak havoc on the western two-thirds of the U.S. today. Heavy rain, mountain snow, high winds and a severe weather outbreak are all in the forecast.

A strengthening low pressure system will move from the central High Plains into the Upper Mississippi Valley for the last day of the work week. An associated cold front will also be forced across the rest of the nation’s midsection. Warm, humid air will be found ahead of the low pressure and cold front, while much colder air filters in behind it.

Showers and thunderstorms are expected for most of the Plains, Mississippi Valley, Midwest and Deep South, mainly in the afternoon and evening. It will be the start of a multi-day severe weather event, with the greatest chance of dangerous thunderstorms occurring in the Midwest. Within thunderstorms, be prepared for heavy rain, damaging winds, large hail and a risk for strong tornadoes.

Behind the low pressure, temperatures will be noticeably colder, which would create wintry precipitation. Expect light to moderate snow throughout the Rockies in the morning, with snow tapering off and ending in the afternoon and evening. There could be wet snow or a rain/snow mix across the northern/central High Plains in the afternoon and evening as colder air moves in.

At the same time, a new weather system will push into the Western U.S. today. Precipitation will overspread the West throughout the day from west-to-east. Expect rain showers along the coast and for lower elevations. Snow will fall in the mountains and higher elevations. Generally small snow amounts are likely. The exception will be the southern Cascades and Sierra Nevada, which will experience heavy snow.

High pressure will control the weather across the eastern third of the U.S. for the end of the week. Expect dry, quiet weather for the entire Eastern Seaboard.

It will remain unseasonably mild for the Central and Eastern U.S., while colder than normal temperatures will be found across the West.

This will translate into 20s and 30s for the higher elevations of the Mountain West and the northern High Plains, with 40s and 50s for the rest of West into the High Plains. However, there could be a few 60s in the Desert Southwest.

Expect 40s and 50s for the Northeast into the northern Mid-Atlantic. Otherwise, highs will generally be in the 60s and 70s from the eastern Plains through the East Coast. Eighties will be scattered in across the Midwest, Deep South and Southeast, with 80s and 90s for most of Texas. A few 100s also cannot be ruled out!