Nat'l Weather October 15 2004

[Jeb]

Chilly Midwest to Northeast, Showery Northwest

9:35 P.M. ET 10/15/2004

 

James Wilson, Meteorologist, The Weather Channel

 

 

Northeast

A strengthening upper-level low over the Great Lakes will help to keep the Northeast blustery throughout the weekend. The cold front slammed through to end the widespread rain for the region. However, look for the showery pattern to hold in the interior sections, especially off the warm waters of the Great Lakes with the unstable air keeping the wet conditions going Saturday but diminishing by Sunday. At least the weather in Boston will dry out today allowing the Yankees and Red Sox to resume their playoff games. On Monday, the next cold front will roll showers back into the western half of the region Monday and the whole region on Tuesday.

 

Midwest

It will be generally cold and breezy today. Most showers will primary stay confined to the Great Lakes where lake-enhancement will lead to a better chance of measurable precipitation. Snow showers are in the forecast for northern Minnesota and western North Dakota as cold air mixes with lingering moisture. Generally, elsewhere around the Midwest cloudy skies, cool temperatures, and breezy conditions will rule the day. Low temperatures Saturday morning will range from the teens in the Dakotas, to the 20s in Nebraska, the 30s from Kansas to Wisconsin, and the 40s in the Ohio River Valley. Afternoon highs will only warm into the 30s from North Dakota to northern Minnesota with a widespread patch of 40s from South Dakota to Michigan. Slightly warmer conditions are forecast from Kansas to Kentucky with 60s and 50s. Look for a slight warming trend for southern sections of the Midwest on Sunday out ahead of a developing storm system. The northern Great Plains should be on the look out for more cold air and light snow on Sunday.

 

South

Winds will stay rather gusty today across much of the region as a weak disturbance flys across. Clouds will move into the Southeast as the disturbance moves through keeping afternoon high temperatures down. Under mostly cloudy skies high temperatures will only warm into the mid 60s from the Piedmont of North Carolina to northern Arkansas. Afternoon highs will be warmer from coastal South Carolina to the Panhandle of Texas topping out in the 70s and 80s. A warming trend will start on Sunday as a high builds off the East Coast and southerly winds replace the cold north winds. Look for temperatures to rebound to the 70s and 80s for most of the Southeast on Sunday.

 

West

In the West the pattern is about to change as new Pacific weather systems crash in on the region. One system will drop into the Pacific Northwest offering showers and mountain snow today. This storm will move east along the US/Canadian border bringing snow showers to the high plains of Montana and Wyoming. Right behind this storm is another upper-level low that will push farther south into Oregon and Northern California on Sunday bringing showers and cooler air to the region. Central and Southern California will start to cool down as upper-level low moves toward the California coast on Saturday. This storm will increase the marine layer from San Francisco to San Diego on Saturday keeping temperature cooler and helping to prime the atmosphere for showers on Sunday. The forecast on Sunday will turn showery from Central California to the deserts of Southern California as the upper-level low moves onshore. Temperatures will start to trend cooler on Saturday with highs ranging in the 50s in Washington to the 80s in the deserts of Arizona which is only about 5 degrees below average. On Sunday, the temperatures will range from 5 to 10 degrees below average from Idaho to Arizona.