Daily Weather Briefing for Friday, January 20, 2017

…Severe thunderstorms possible for portions of the Gulf Coast states…

…Heavy snow possible for the California mountains as well as the Mogollon Rim and portions of the central and southern Rockies…

Showers and thunderstorms are expected to be widespread tonight in association with a warm front and an upper-level disturbance from portions of the Gulf Coast and Southeast to the Ohio valley and portions of the Great Lakes. Some thunderstorms could be severe across portions of the Gulf Coast. Rain will spread northeast on Friday across portions of the Mid-Atlantic and lower Great Lakes. Farther south on Friday, another round of showers and thunderstorms is expected to develop during the afternoon and evening along the Gulf Coast, some of which could once again become severe. Please refer to products issued by the Storm Prediction Center for further details on the severe weather threat. On Saturday, widespread showers and thunderstorms are once again expected from the Gulf Coast and lower Mississippi valley to the Southeast along and ahead of a developing warm front.

A Pacific frontal system will move onshore along the West coast tonight, bringing widespread rain and mountain snow. As the system moves inland, snow will spread into portions of the Great Basin and Four Corners region on Friday. Heavy snow will be possible through Saturday morning for the mountains in California as well as areas from the Mogollon Rim to the central and southern Rockies. By late Saturday into Saturday night, rain and mountain snow will begin to increase once again from central California northward along the coast as another frontal system approaches.

LOCAL OVERVIEW

A warm front will lift north across the region tonight and tomorrow bringing more rain to the area. A more significant low pressure system is expected to track across the region this weekend, bringing showers and thunderstorms for Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Drier high pressure is expected to build back over the region by the middle of next week.

THREE DAY OUTLOOK

Friday

Patchy fog before noon. Decreasing clouds with partly sunny skies in the afternoon with highs near the mid 60s and winds out of the southwest. 60% chance of rain, mainly before noon with rainfall amounts between a tenth and a quarter of an inch. Cloud cover will begin to increase later in the afternoon.

Friday Night

Mostly cloudy with lows near the upper 40s and light winds out of the south.

Saturday

Cloudy with highs near the low to mid 60s with calm winds in the morning and from the southeast in the afternoon. 60% chance of rain, mainly after noon, with rainfall amounts between a tenth and a quarter of an inch.

Saturday Night

Cloudy with lows near the lower 50s and calm winds before midnight and from the southeast after midnight. 80% chance of rain, mainly after 8 pm.

Sunday

Showers and thunderstorms with highs near the lower 60s. 80% chance of rain, heavy at times.

Sunday Night

Showers and thunderstorms with lows near the mid to upper 40s. 80% chance of rain, heavy at times.

HAZARDS

No hazardous weather is expected today.