After days of back-to-back storms, a quieter weather pattern awaits most of the nation this weekend. Still, a few places will have to dodge rain and snow.
Saturday
Although more inland areas of the nation will keep clear again to start the weekend, a few boundary regions will have to contend with winter storms.
One of these areas is the Mid-South as an emerging Gulf low cycles in moisture on Saturday. Eastern Texas is set for light scattered showers and thunderstorms, especially toward the evening and nighttime, while just drizzle douses Louisiana and Mississippi. Toward Arkansas, however, temperatures are expected to keep cold enough to rush the Natural State with a light wintry mix and freezing rain towards nighttime.
A brief lull in rainfall will fix over the Pacific Northwest from Saturday morning through the early afternoon, but a stronger band of the atmospheric river seeks to break in before dusk. Most precipitation in the region will be rainfall and lots of it. About an inch or two of rain is expected along the coastline and ahead of the Cascades by Midnight. Over a foot of snow could blanket the northernmost Cascades, and a few inches of snow will sprinkle further into the ridges of the Northwest.
Flurries near the northeastern Canadian border and southeastern Florida showers are possible on Friday, but otherwise, continue to expect dry skies across most of the nation.
High temperatures below the twenties will be by and large have vacated the country by Saturday. Sub-freezing peaks for Saturday will still chill northern Appalachia, Rocky ridges, the interior Northeast, New England, and the Great Lakes states. Some melting associated with 30s and 40s will affect the Lower Midwest, the Mid-Atlantic, Rocky mid-elevations, the northern half of the plains, more northern areas of the South, and surprisingly, southeastern Texas.
Warmer 50s and 60s will swath the Intermountain West, the Pacific Northwest, the southern Plains, the Deep South, and most of Florida. Although far and few in between, some isolated 70s will arise in the desert Southwest and South Florida to keep the heat on Saturday.
Sunday
The weather on Sunday will be almost a carbon copy of the weather from the start of the weekend. The same low developing in the Gulf will hug the coastline. Expect rain showers and perhaps a thunderstorm or two across eastern Texas into Louisiana and southern Mississippi.
A few lake-effect snow showers will move over the Great Lakes and interior Northeast. While most areas see generally small accumulations, some locally heavier amounts are possible immediately downwind from the lakes.
An atmospheric river will continue to funnel moisture into the northwestern quadrant of the nation. This will result in frequent rain showers for the Pacific Northwest and the lowest elevations of the interior Northwest. Meanwhile, expect a rain/snow mix for the middle elevations and wet snow piling up in the higher elevations.
The one difference from Saturday will be a clipper-type system that starts to drop south across the north-central U.S. The far northern Plains, Upper Mississippi Valley and parts of the western Great Lakes will see a wintry mix of snow, freezing rain and rain developing in the afternoon and evening.
Temperatures will continue to moderate throughout the U.S. on Sunday. The coldest spots will be the tallest peaks in the Rockies as well as the interior Northeast. Here, highs will stay in the 20s. Otherwise, 30s and 40s will be predominant to close out the weekend, including throughout the Rockies, the eastern Plains, Great Lakes, Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and southern New England.
Fifties and 60s are in store for most of the Northwest, Great Basin and Plains into the Deep South and Southeast. California into the Desert Southwest, the far southern High Plains and Florida will experience warmer 70s and 80s.
