National Weather at 3pm December 3 2004

[Jeb]

A vigorous storm system taking aim on the Pacific Northwest, rain returns to Texas

3:07 P.M. ET 12/3/2004

 

R. Hulecki, Meteorologist, The Weather Channel

 

 

South

The weather across the South will morph from a dry and cool pattern into a mild, cloudy, and rainy pattern this weekend. A strong storm jetstream that stretches back past Hawaii will help provide part of the necessary ingredients for clouds and rain along the Texas and Louisiana Coasts on Saturday. By Sunday the high pressure that has been anchored over the South will move off the coast of the Carolinas allowing southerly winds to bring humid Gulf air into the Mississippi River Valley. At the same time a meandering storm off Southern California will move into Texas and will help spread rain and thunderstorms from Texas through the South by Sunday. Clear skies overnight will allow portions of the South to see frost on Saturday morning. Look for morning lows in the 20s across the upper-South with 30s and 40s across the lower-South and the 50s and 60s in southern Texas and southern Florida. Saturday will be warm and pleasant for much of the South with temperatures in the 50s and 60s for the majority of the region with the 70s in southern Florida.

 

West

A stubborn high pressure system anchored over the West will bring another round of below average temperatures to Southern California, the Desert Southwest, and the Intermountain West on Saturday. More record cold temperatures are likely from Colorado to California on Saturday morning. A strong storm system will move out of the Gulf of Alaska and come ashore in the Pacific Northwest bringing locally heavy rain, lowering snow levels and colder air into the region by Saturday. Snow levels are forecast to drop to nearly 500 feet by Saturday around the Seattle metro region. Heavy snow is expected in the Washington and Oregon Cascades through Saturday with 1-2 feet of snow possible above 3000 feet. Snow will also spread into eastern Washington to western Montana with 6-8 inches of snow above 4000 feet by Saturday. Rain and snow will spread through Oregon and into central California by Saturday afternoon. This new storm will help kick an upper-level storm away from Southern California into the Four Corners. The upper-level storm will bring light snow to the mountains of New Mexico and Arizona with light rain in lower elevations. It is this storm system that will become the major weather maker for the eastern half of the nation.

 

Midwest

A clipper system embedded in a fast moving jetstream will bring another chance of light precipitation to the northern Great Lakes on Saturday. Temperatures on Saturday will warm during the day so any snow will change over to a cold rain during the afternoon. Mostly sunny skies and mild temperatures over the Midwest will keep spirits bright on Saturday. Temperatures will warm into the upper 40s in Chicagoland with the 50s in Kansas City east along I-70 to Columbus, Ohio. Clouds will be on the increase as southerly winds transport moist Gulf air into the Midwest Saturday night also keeping the overnight lows mild. By Sunday, rain and showers will spread into central Plains and the Ohio Valley. On Sunday, the Dakotas will experience snow showers as weak Pacific weather disturbances mix with cold air draining down from Canada.

 

West

Out ahead of clipper moving across Quebec, the Northeast will see generally partly cloudy skies with west winds increasing during the afternoon. Temperatures will run in the 30s in northern New England; the 40s in southern New England, Pennsylvania, and New York; with the 50s around Del-Mar-Va. Winds will remain gusty on Sunday as the clipper system passes to the north of the Northeast. Behind the clipper system is a very cold Canadian high-pressure system that is forecast to bring colder air to the region on Monday. The cold air is forecast to mix with moisture flowing from the south and this combination could result in a wintry mix of precipitation for parts of the Northeast.