Good Friday And Easter Sunday Outlook – National Weather Forecast For April 7, 2023

by | Apr 7, 2023 | Weather

National Weather Forecast

A stationary front across the Southeast to just off the Texas Coast will bring widespread showers and storms across the Deep South for Good Friday. A system in the Pacific Northwest will bring rain and snow chances. Some rain and snow showers will also be possible in the Upper Midwest and far northern New England.

Very heavy rain is expected across the southern and southeastern United States through the first half of the holiday weekend, with 3-5”+ of rain possible. This could lead to flooding. The heaviest snow will be in the Sierras, with several feet possible.

Skipping ahead to Easter Sunday, most of the nation will see quiet weather. The best chances of wet weather throughout the day will be in the Southeast and Pacific Northwest. A few afternoon showers could also pop up across the central United States.

Meanwhile, the Masters tournament is ongoing in Augusta, GA, this weekend – and boy does it look potentially wet! This will be the fifth straight Masters with rain during the tournament according to ESPN.

Friday: While just a few showers could be around for tee times Friday morning, rain chances increase into the afternoon.
Saturday: Widespread rain is expected across the region, with up to 1” possible during the afternoon. Temperatures will drop to only a high of 50F for Saturday, but with northeast winds will make it feel chillier.
Sunday: Rain chances remain through early afternoon, but drier weather should move in for the second half of the day. Highs top off in the mid to upper 50s, with northeast winds around 15 mph once again.
Monday: If we have to extend the tournament into Monday (which would be the first time since 1983), dry weather looks likely with highs in the mid-60s.

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Are we seeing more space weather?

More from the Met Office: “In short, yes. But the explanation is well known in the science community and a further increase in space weather activity is expected in the coming years. Krista Hammond is a Manager at the Met Office Space Weather Operations Centre (MOSWOC). She said: “Activity on the sun, and in particular the number of visible sunspots, varies over roughly an 11-year period, known as the solar cycle.” The last solar minimum – when the Sun had the lowest frequency of visible sunspots in the solar cycle – occurred in December 2019. This means that the sun’s activity is currently increasing, with the next solar maximum expected around 2025.”

Greenhouse gases continued to increase rapidly in 2022

More from NOAA: “Levels of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane and nitrous oxide, the three greenhouse gases emitted by human activity that are the most significant contributors to climate change, continued their historically high rates of growth in the atmosphere during 2022, according to NOAA scientists. The global surface average for CO2 rose by 2.13 parts per million (ppm) to 417.06 ppm, roughly the same rate observed during the last decade. Atmospheric CO2 is now 50% higher than pre-industrial levels. 2022 was the 11th consecutive year CO2 increased by more than 2 ppm, the highest sustained rate of CO2 increases in the 65 years since monitoring began. Prior to 2013, three consecutive years of CO2 growth of 2 ppm or more had never been recorded.”

Study: Even a small increase in pollution raises risk for dementia

More from Grist: “Just a small increase in the pollution people breathe can raise their risk of developing dementia, according to a new study that lays the groundwork for stricter air quality regulations. The analysis, conducted by researchers at Harvard’s medical school, was released on Wednesday in the BMJ, a peer-reviewed medical journal. It’s the most comprehensive look yet at the link between the neurological condition and exposure to PM2.5 — fine particles that are 2.5 microns wide or less released by wildfires, traffic, power plants, and other sources. Dementia, an umbrella term for the loss of mental functioning that includes Alzheimer’s disease, afflicts more than 7 million people in the United States and 57 million worldwide. The study found that the risk of dementia rose by 17 percent for every 2 micrograms per cubic meter increase in people’s annual exposure to PM2.5. For context, the average American is exposed to an average of 10 micrograms per cubic meter every year, much of it from burning fossil fuels; during Beijing’s most polluted years a decade ago, the city hovered around 100 micrograms.”

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– D.J. Kayser