National Weather at 340pm November 2 2004

[Jeb]

Weather pattern begins to change

3:40 P.M. ET 12/2/2004

 

R. Hulecki, Meteorologist, The Weather Channel

 

 

 

Northeast

An expansive Pacific high-pressure system sitting over a majority of the country is keeping the weather pattern very quite. A fast moving weather system known as a clipper, will swing through the Northeast on Friday bringing clouds, a few snow showers, and a brief shot of cooler air. The best chance of accumulating snow will be along the favored lake-effect snow belts like the I-81 corridor in New York from Syracuse to Watertown, the Tughill Plateau, and off of Lake Erie. Friday morning lows will range from the upper 30s from Boston to Manhattan, with the 20s in the inland valleys and northern New England. Friday afternoon highs will warm into the upper 40s from Boston to the 5 boroughs of New York City to Philadelphia. Dress for highs in the 30s from western Pennsylvania to Maine on Friday. Expect cooler weather across the Northeast on Saturday behind the clipper.

 

South

Fresh Pacific air that filter into the South allowed temperatures to fall below freezing as far south as the Florida Panhandle on Thursday. Below freezing temperatures are forecasted from the Texas Panhandle to the Piedmont of the Carolinas on Friday morning. A strong southern jetstream flowing above the South will bring showers, clouds, and mild temperatures back to the southern states this weekend. Showers will spread north from deep-south Texas on Friday to the Red River Valley by Saturday. Clouds will expand over the South on Friday as moisture from the Pacific Ocean spreads east through the region. Temperatures will also begin to moderate with highs on Friday warming into the 50s from Virginia to the Texas Panhandle; with 60s from the Texas Hill Country to the South Carolina Coast; the 70s and 80s can be found from Orlando to the Florida Keys. By the weekend rain and clouds will continue to increase in coverage across the South.

 

Midwest

An active jetstream, running generally along the US/Canadian border, will help transport fast moving weather disturbances across the northern Great Plains and across the Great Lakes through the weekend. A clipper that moved through the Upper Midwest brought 4-6” of snow to Duluth, Minn., on Thursday. Behind this weak clipper, there is another weak weather disturbance may bring flurries and sprinkles from Minnesota, Wisconsin, into Iowa and Illinois. There is not a lot of moisture to work with so any precipitation that falls will be light. Lows on Friday morning will range from the single digits in northern Minnesota to the 20s across much of the central plains, and sections of the Midwest, with the 30s in the southern Ohio River Valley. Highs on Friday will warm into the 30s around the Great Lakes to the 40s from southern Ohio through Kansas north into the Dakotas. With west winds off the Rockies there could be some temperatures that warm into the 50s from eastern Montana to the high plains of the Dakotas. Look for additional warming on Saturday across the entire Midwest region.

 

West

Changes are in store for the West as persistent high pressure will start to erode as the weekend approaches. For a third day in a row there were record lows in California on Thursday morning. Lows ranged from the teens in the high deserts of Southern California to the low 30s along the Southern California coast. There were also record lows in Central California. Friday morning lows will remain below average across the Desert Southwest and California with widespread 30s and 40s and scattered frost. The high-pressure system, which has been anchored over the West since early in the week, is responsible for fog and drizzle in the valleys of the Pacific Northwest. The stagnant weather pattern will start to erode as a new storm system is poised to enter Washington State on Saturday. This should help scour out the fog and drizzle in the Pacific Northwest.