National Weather at 9pm on November 22 2004

[Jeb]

Travel nightmares ahead

9:03 P.M. ET 11/22/2004

 

Tom Moore, Senior Meteorologist, The Weather Channel

 

 

South

Low pressure aloft over the Southwest will trek eastward into New Mexico on Tuesday and will help spawn an area of low pressure along the Texas/New Mexico border. That storm will interact with moisture already in place over Texas thanks to the subtropical jet stream and moisture off the Gulf of Mexico. The result will be another day of heavy rainfall plus severe weather. Damaging wind gusts, hail, and tornadoes are likely across eastern Texas on Tuesday. Several areas of eastern Texas have had over a foot of rain already this month and more rain will increase the flooding. Flood watches are already posted from eastern Texas through central Mississippi. By Wednesday this system should impact areas from the Mississippi and Tennessee Valleys to the Gulf Coast with heavy rain and thunderstorms. Once this storm moves away, Texas should be dry into the weekend.

 

West

The potent low that brought snow to the California deserts Sunday and over a quarter of an inch of rain to Phoenix early on Monday should push eastward out of Arizona and into New Mexico on Tuesday. This will allow some clearing to occur. While New Mexico gets lower elevation showers and mountain snows Tuesday, California and Arizona get a chance to dry out. Snowfall could total over 6 inches above 3,500 feet in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. The storm moving through the southern Plains may bring locally heavy snow to the plains of Colorado Tuesday afternoon and night. Residual snow showers should linger in the mountains Wednesday as the Plains storm moves away. A new storm threatens to bring rainfall into the Pacific Northwest by Wednesday.

 

Midwest

Some significant changes are in store for the Midwest as a cold front dropping southward from Canada will usher in colder air through the region. Meanwhile, a storm gathering strength over the southern Plains is going to push moisture northward into the cold air. The result could be a travel nightmare for the region by Wednesday. Rainfall from the southern storm should move into the lower Ohio Valley by Tuesday evening and then continue lifting northward Tuesday night. As cold air filters in on the back side of the storm, a narrow band of snow is expected on the northwest fringe of the precipitation and just where than band sets up could mean travel headaches for thousands of travelers around the Great Lakes. Stay tuned to weather.com and The Weather Channel for further updates on this developing situation.

 

Northeast

High pressure will produce a pleasant Tuesday across the Northeast but changes will occur in a hurry after that as stormy weather moves into the region Tuesday night and Wednesday. High temperatures will range from the 30s in northern Maine to the 50s in the Middle Atlantic region on Tuesday. Wednesday should be quite stormy with heavy rain and thunderstorms impacting travel as people try to get where they need to go for Thanksgiving. Rain and thunderstorms will affect western sections early in the day and then move toward the Atlantic Coast by afternoon. Winds will be picking up, as well.