Confidence is increasing that a developing storm system will deliver heavy snow, widespread rain and severe storms to the eastern half of the U.S. as we head into the weekend, the FFOX Forecast Center said.
Confidence is increasing that a developing storm system will deliver heavy , widespread and to the eastern half of the as we head into the weekend.
The FOX Forecast Center wants to emphasize that the storm system is still a few days away, and some forecast changes may occur. However, all indications suggest this could be a significant storm that may cause disruptions and power outages for millions of Americans.
The setup for a potentially potent storm this weekend.
(FOX Weather)
Snow expected in Midwest while heavy rain soaks the East
A trough of low pressure will eject out of the western U.S. late this week, the FOX Forecast Center said, triggering the development of a surface low over the central Plains on Friday. Where exactly that low develops and tracks will determine who gets rain versus snow.
Showers and will increase in coverage from the central Gulf Coast to the Ohio Valley from Friday afternoon into Saturday, the FOX Forecast Center said. The storm system should reach the East Coast by Sunday into Monday, with widespread rain from the to .
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The weather forecast in the eastern U.S. on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023. ( )
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The weather forecast in the eastern U.S. on Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023. ( )
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The weather forecast in the Northeast on Monday, Dec. 11, 2023. ( )
Because the system will be strengthening rapidly during this time, very windy conditions are forecast to spread across the eastern part of the nation. Some forecast models indicate damaging winds of 50-70 mph could blast the East Coast, particularly the mid-Atlantic to New England from late Saturday through Sunday.
(FOX Weather)
According to the FOX Forecast Center, these speeds could create big travel trouble at major airport hubs over the weekend, and we may even see power outages across multiple states.
Colder air on the system’s backside will produce snow from the central Plains to the Great Lakes. However, the exact locations and snowfall accumulations remain uncertain and will become clearer as the week continues.
FILE – A silhouetted walker made his way around Lake Harriet in Minneapolis, Minnesota, as falling snow obscured the horizon late Tuesday afternoon, Feb. 22, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Wheeler/Star Tribune via Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
Wherever that band of snow sets up, as much as 5-8 inches of snow could fall through early Sunday. So far, computer forecast models keep shifting the band of snow to the north, south, east or west, but the FOX Forecast Center said it is zeroing in on the Upper and Great Lakes for the heaviest snow.
Severe weather threat in the South
The FOX Forecast Center said it is also monitoring the potential for severe weather in the South with this storm. A few severe storms may pop up on Friday night in parts of the Ark-La-Tex region and near the Ozarks as moisture streams off the Gulf of Mexico.
NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has placed the region in a Level 1 out of 5 on its . This includes the cities of and in Oklahoma, in Missouri and and in Arkansas.
(FOX Weather)
By Saturday, a combination of increasing moisture and strong – the change in wind speed and direction with height – will result in a more substantial threat for severe thunderstorm development. , damaging winds and large will all be possible from East to , , western and West .
The region is in a Level 2 out of 5 on the SPC’s thunderstorm risk scale. This includes the cities of in Texas, and in Louisiana, in Arkansas, in Mississippi and in Tennessee.
(FOX Weather)
weather patterns are known to produce stormy weather across the , but so far, the last several storm systems have underperformed computer forecast model guidance.
The was on Nov. 20.