Tracking Two Impactful Systems Through Early Next Week – National Weather Outlook For January 5, 2024

by | Jan 5, 2024 | Weather

National Weather Forecast

On Friday, a system moving through the Southern Plains will bring wintry and rainy precipitation to the region. Eventually, an area of low pressure will form near the Gulf Coast, leading to storms in the Southeast (some of which could be strong) and eventually icing into the Appalachians Friday Night. We’ll also watch a system in the upper Midwest bring some snow chances and more rain/snow chances into the Northwestern United States and Great Basin.

The heaviest rain through Saturday will occur in two locations: one in the Southeastern United States, and the other in the Pacific Northwest. Both locations could see upward of 3” in some spots.

The heaviest snow through Saturday evening will be up in the Cascades, where 1-2 feet could occur.

Forecast loop from 7 PM ET Friday to 7 PM ET Sunday.

We are tracking a potentially impactful system that’ll develop near the Gulf Coast on Friday, tracking to the Delmarva on Saturday and into the Atlantic by Monday. As this system strengthens, we will be tracking the potential for significant icing Friday Night into Saturday in the southern/central Appalachians, heavy wet snow across the interior Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, and strong winds leading to coastal flooding by Sunday. The rain/snow line as we work through the weekend is going to be close to the D.C./New York City areas, and any eventual wiggle in the track could lead to some major changes in snowfall amounts for these areas.

Forecast loop from 6 PM CT Sunday to 6 PM CT Tuesday.

We are also keeping our eye on the potential of an impactful system as we head into the first half of next week across the eastern two-thirds of the nation. If the track above holds, we will be watching the potential for heavy snow from the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles to the Kansas City/St. Louis, Chicago, and Milwaukee areas. As the system strengthens, strong winds will be possible causing reduced visibility in the areas that receive heavy snow. Severe weather will be possible near the Gulf Coast. Meanwhile, heavy rain will spread into the Northeast across areas that see heavy snow this weekend, which could lead to flooding issues due to the additional rain on top of melting snow.

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– D.J. Kayser