Watching A System Out West – National Weather Outlook For December 29, 2023

by | Dec 29, 2023 | Weather

National Weather Forecast

On Friday, we’ll continue to watch a couple of areas of low pressure across the Great Lakes and the Northeast that bring inclement weather for travel. Parts of Maine could see some icing, and light snow could extend as far south as northern Alabama and northern Georgia. Otherwise, we’ll watch a system near the West Coast bring rain and higher-elevation snow.

The heaviest rain through Saturday will be in parts of Northern California, which could receive over 3” over the next couple of days.

The heaviest snow through the first half of the weekend will be out in the Sierra, where over a foot could fall. Otherwise, several inches will be possible in the Cascades, Appalachians, and parts of Maine.

_______________________________________________

2024 may be the hottest year in recorded history

More from Axios: “2024 may be even hotter than the “gobsmackingly” hot 2023, which featured extreme — and often deadly — weather and climate events around the globe. Why it matters: A hotter 2024 would lend credence to the hypothesis that global warming is accelerating. “If things follow the normal pattern, 2024 should be a bit hotter than 2023. But ‘the normal pattern’ may not exist anymore,” said Andrew Dessler, a climate scientist at Texas A&M University. “In any event, it’s certainly going to be one of the hottest years in the record.” The big picture: The combination of human-caused global warming from the burning of fossil fuels for energy, along with deforestation, plus other factors like a naturally occurring El Niño, have boosted 2023’s record warmth, stunning many in the scientific community.”

Biden Administration Takes Historic Step to Protect Old-Growth Forest

More from Inside Climate News: “In an unprecedented step to preserve and maintain the most carbon-rich elements of U.S. forests in an era of climate change, President Joe Biden’s administration last week proposed to end commercially driven logging of old-growth trees in National Forests. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, who oversees the U.S. Forest Service, issued a Notice of Intent to amend the land management plans of all 128 National Forests to prioritize old-growth conservation and recognize the oldest trees’ unique role in carbon storage. It would be the first nationwide amendment to forest plans in the 118-year history of the Forest Service, where local rangers typically have the final word on how to balance forests’ role in watershed, wildlife and recreation with the agency’s mandate to maintain a “sustained yield” of timber.”

Ford will follow Toyota as it leans into hybrids, scaling back EV targets

More from electrek: “As Ford struggles amid the industry’s shift to EVs, the automaker plans to lean into its hybrids. In a move that mirrors Toyota, Ford is scaling back its transition to EVs to bet on hybrids. Despite Ford’s EV sales hitting a new record with 8,958 electric vehicles sold in November, the automaker is scaling back. Ford sold more F-150 Lightning models last month (4,393) than it did in the entire third quarter (3,503). The Lightning edged out Rivian’s R1T for the top-selling electric truck spot through November. Despite this, Ford’s CEO Jim Farley explained on the company’s Q3 earnings call that he’s “so thankful we have kept our foot on the has to freshen our ICE and HEV products as we enter a changing market.””

_______________________________________________

Follow me on:

Thanks for checking in and have a great day!

– D.J. Kayser