National Weather at 250pm on January 14 2005

[Jeb]

The nation quiets down

2:51 P.M. ET 1/14/2005

 

M. Ressler, Meteorologist, The Weather Channel

 

 

Northeast

The premature spring is history for the time being and snow again glazes the ground across Upstate New York and parts of New England. Over the weekend, the cold air settles in, but temperatures will only range between average and 10 degrees below average. Some light lake effect is possible over southwest New York and central New York downwind of Lakes Erie and Ontario on Saturday. Sunday and Monday, an upper-level disturbance will bring a more generalized area of light snow to Upstate New York, northern Pennsylvania and New England. In the coming week, two clipper (fast-moving) lows and their attendant cold fronts will bring more most-likely light snow to the region, mainly across Upstate New York and New England Wednesday into Thursday and possibly across the Mid-Atlantic the following weekend.

 

South

Other than a few showers in Florida (and possibly the Outer Banks on Sunday) and south Texas from time to time, the South will likely be precipitation free this weekend and in the coming week. Weather systems will basically by-pass the region to the north. Temperatures will be generally 7 or 8 degrees either side of average through Tuesday (but up to 16 degrees below average in the Texas/Oklahoma Panhandles on Saturday) with warmer air invading the southern Plains from out of the West by midweek. This means temperatures will range from the 30s and 40s north (Oklahoma to North Carolina) to the 50s and 60s around the Gulf and 70s in south Florida.

 

Midwest

The Plains and Midwest will soon start the long road to moderating temperatures. The arctic chill will persist this weekend with high temperatures 5 to 25 degrees below average. This means below zero readings North Dakota and Minnesota to the 20s and 30s Kansas, Missouri and Kentucky. Temperatures could be 10 to 15 degrees above average in the Plains and mid-Mississippi Valley by this coming Thursday. Three disturbances will move through the region in the coming week. The first over the weekend will sit over the northern Great Lakes before heading east and help to enhance snow over Upper Michigan. The second will sweep across the eastern Dakotas, northern Mississippi Valley and Great Lakes Tuesday and Wednesday with light snow for northern Minnesota and northern Michigan. Next Friday and Saturday, the third could zip from the northern Plains into the Ohio Valley, accompanied just north of its track by a band of light to moderate snow. The Great Lakes will become the coldest part of the region from Tuesday on.

 

West

The West is in for a real warm up over the coming week as a ridge of high pressure aloft takes control. Pacific storms will generally skirt the Pacific Northwest, moving into western Canada and then sweeping south across the Midwest. The first storm this weekend will have to deal with lingering cold air over Washington and Oregon. This means a freezing rain event for southwest Washington, Portland, the Willamette Valley and the Columbia Gorge on Saturday and part of Sunday. The cold air will eventually be scoured out. A warm moist flow into Washington from midweek into the following weekend could eventually bring quite a bit of rain to areas from the Cascades to the coast. Winds will be gusty east of the divide from Cut Bank to Livingston in Montana. Air stagnation will be on the increase in the coming week across the interior West such as the Central Valley of California, the Snake River Valley and the Great Salt Lake Valley. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and beyond could feature daytime temperatures 5 to near 20 degrees above average region-wide.